Concerns are growing among Jatiya Party (JaPa) candidates about whether they will be able to remain in the race in the upcoming parliamentary election, amid fresh moves by groups opposed to what they describe as fascism to push the party out of the polls.
A writ petition has already been filed with the High Court on behalf of an “anti-fascism” platform known as July Oikya, seeking the cancellation of JaPa candidates’ nominations.
At the same time, the group announced a two-day programme on Monday aimed at keeping 14 political parties, including JaPa, out of the election.
Earlier, on Saturday, the district office of JaPa in Bogura was taken over, with a signboard bearing the name “July Mass Uprising Research Centre” installed at the premises.
Leaders of the main faction of Jatiya Party, led by GM Quader, say they fear that attacks could be carried out against the party’s candidates once formal election campaigning begins on 22 January.
They allege that after failing in earlier attempts to force the party out of the election, supporters of two political parties, operating under “the banner of so-called July fighters”, have now launched renewed activities against Jatiya Party.
JaPa Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary told TIMES of Bangladesh that the party’s ability to remain in the election would be seriously undermined if what he described as “mob activities” aimed at pushing the party out of the polls are not brought under control by the government and the Election Commission.
“If the government and the Election Commission fail to rein in the situation, it will be difficult for us to stay in the election,” he said. “However, if a fair environment is maintained, the Jatiya Party still has electoral prospects.”
Patwary also warned of possible violence once formal campaigning begins. “When official campaigning starts, some of our popular candidates could come under attack. Those who see the Jatiya Party as a threat may be responsible,” he said, adding that the party could consider boycotting the vote if the authorities fail to take action.
So far, however, no attacks on Jatiya Party candidates have been reported.
The party’s office secretary, Mahmud Alam, said Jatiya Party candidates had submitted nomination papers in 244 constituencies. Of these, 172 were declared valid during the initial scrutiny process.
He said that a further 21 candidates had had their nominations restored during appeal hearings over the past two days, bringing the total number of valid candidates to 193 so far.
“If a few more nominations are reinstated through appeals, nearly 200 candidates could be in the race with the Plough symbol,” Alam added.
For the parliamentary election scheduled for 12 February, JaPa chairman GM Quader is contesting from the Rangpur-3 constituency, while the party’s secretary general, Shamim Haider Patwary, is running in Gaibandha-1 and Gaibandha-5.
Calls to ban the party intensified following an attack on Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur during a programme on 29 August last year demanding the party’s ban. In the aftermath, several political groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizen Party, also launched campaigns seeking a ban on the party.
These groups have long described Jatiya Party as a “fascist ally” and “pro-India”, arguing that it should be excluded from the political process.
BNP, has not openly backed a ban on Jatiya Party, instead taking what analysts describe as a strategic position. Some observers believe BNP opposes excluding the party from the polls to maintain pressure on Jamaat and to support the idea of a more participatory election.
In recent days, the platform known as July Oikya has renewed its efforts to push Jatiya Party out of the election.
On 6 January, July Oikya filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking to have candidates of the National Democratic Front, an alliance formed by dissident Jatiya Party leaders, declared ineligible to contest the election.
On 11 January, the High Court issued a rule directing that the candidates concerned be restrained from taking part in the election and also issued a rule asking why their candidacies should not be cancelled.
On Monday, July Oikya announced a two-day programme demanding the cancellation of the candidacies of nominees from Jatiya Party, the 14-party alliance, and National Democratic Front alliance.
At a press conference held in front of Madhur Canteen at Dhaka University, the organisers said the programme would include a “March to the Election Commission” and the submission of a memorandum at noon on 13 January. This would be followed the next day by a “March to the Divisional Election Commission offices” in divisional cities across the country on 14 January.
Meanwhile, the organisational strength of Jatiya Party has weakened sharply in Rangpur and Rajshahi, long regarded as the party’s strongholds, following its support for Awami League.
As a result, the party has so far failed to field candidates in two constituencies in the Rangpur division and 14 constituencies in the Rajshahi division, party sources say.
At the same time, sources say that the party have received assurances that the government does not intend to exclude the party from the election in order to project a participatory poll. With Awami League currently barred from contesting, analysts say removing Jatiya Party from the race could raise fresh questions, both domestically and internationally, about the inclusiveness of the election.
Founded in 1986 by former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Jatiya Party is now divided into six separate factions.
