13th National Parliamentary ElectionJamaat gets 179 constituencies, NCP 30 in alliance’s seat-sharing plan

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will contest the national elections from 179 constituencies while NCP will contest from 30 seats in the 12 February national elections, according to an agreement reached by the alliance partners on Thursday.

Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Abdullah Mohammad Taher announced the seat sharing plan at a press briefing hosted at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh in the capital around 9 pm on Thursday.

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish (where Maulana Mamumul Haque is the chief) would get 20 seats, Khelafat Majlish would get 10 seats, Liberal Democratic Party 7 seats, Amar Bangladesh Party 3 seats, Nezam-e-Islam 2 seats and Bangladesh Development Party 2 seats, Taher told reporters.

According to Taher, other partners of the largely Islamist bloc would fix their seat-sharing arrangement later.

Candidates for 253 seats were announced in the press conference, leaving 47 seats for the remaining three parties in the 11-party alliance.

The three parties are Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA).

It is worth noting that no representative from Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), potentially the second biggest party in the alliance, was present at the press conference amid rumours the party leaders are not satisfied with the seats earmarked for them.

No official statement has yet been released over IAB’s place within the alliance, signaling it has yet to quit the bloc.

The party has called a separate press conference at its head office in Purana Paltan on Friday afternoon to outline its position over the Jamaat-led seat-sharing arrangement, IAB Central Publication Secretary Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf announced in a press release on Thursday night.