Ganatantri Party left out of EC discussion for ‘internal divisions’

The Ganatantri Party was not sent an invitation letter to participate in the Election Commission's (EC) discussion with political parties due to internal party divisions, according to EC sources.

This revelation came after the EC's recent dialogue with registered political parties in the country as part of preparations for the upcoming elections.

There are 44 registered political parties in the country, including two new ones. Of these, 43 received invitation letters from the EC. The Ganatantri Party, however, was notably absent from the list of invitees.

EC sources revealed that the party is currently experiencing a split, with each of the two factions operating under their own committee. Since the EC typically invites two representatives from each party, the decision was made not to send an invitation to the Ganatantri Party due to the internal partition.

The party got registered with the EC in 2008, receiving registration number 8. At the time of registration, the party's committee was led by Barrister Md Arosh Ali as president and Dr Shahadat Hossain as general secretary.

Currently, the party is divided, with each faction holding separate councils and forming two distinct committees. Barrister Md Arosh Ali leads one faction, while Dr Shahadat Hossain leads the other.

Dr Shahadat Hossain explained the situation, stating that the party is facing a crisis, with a council held on 8 July 2023, where he was elected president. 

Following that, on 12 July, the party's outgoing President Barrister Md Arosh Ali convened a council, formed a new committee, and declared himself president.

Both factions submitted lists of their respective committees to the EC, causing confusion. So the EC asked them to clarify the issues. 
Dr Shahadat assured that they will respond to the EC shortly to clarify the situation, as the party is actively preparing for the upcoming election.

Meanwhile, the president of the other faction did not respond to the Business Standard's calls yesterday night.

The EC's meeting with registered political parties on Saturday allowed the parties to collectively emphasise the importance of a free, fair, and participatory national election. It is noteworthy that 17 out of the 43 invited parties chose not to participate in the discussions regarding the EC's preparations for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.