Number of winning seats not NCP's primary objective: Nahid

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam has said the party is participating in the upcoming national election not with the primary objective of winning seats.

"If winning seats was our goal, we would have joined some kind of alliance. We are not contesting the election for power," he said while speaking at the party's Banglamotor office in Dhaka today (10 December).

The NCP has formally entered the race for the upcoming 13th national election, announcing its first list of 125 candidates.

The interim government has scheduled the election for February, and the NCP, formed by the youths who led the July Uprising, is set to contest under the symbol Shapla Koli. Nahid Islam himself will run from the Dhaka-11 constituency.

Aiming at traditional political parties, Nahid criticised their nomination processes.

"In many places, mafia members and loan defaulters have been given nominations. Whether the Election Commission takes action against them will determine how fair the commission's process truly is," he said. In contrast, NCP's list reflects inclusivity, he claimed.

"We said our nomination list would be inclusive with representation from women, men, minority and majority communities, and people from diverse professional backgrounds," he added.

The NCP convener further noted that if any allegations surface against nominated candidates, the party will scrap their candidacy.

Nahid Islam expressed dissatisfaction with the current electoral atmosphere.

"We are seeing our posters being torn down in different places. Violations of electoral rules such as excessive spending and illegal campaigning are already happening," he said.

He added that the party has urged the Election Commission to strictly monitor candidates' expenditure reports.

"We are witnessing displays of weapons in various places. Such activities are visible from both BNP and Jamaat," Nahid alleged.

Framing the upcoming polls as a decisive moment, the NCP leader said the election should be viewed as a referendum.

"The key question is 'yes or no'. People ask how many seats we expect. But we are not participating in forming the government. If securing seats was the priority, we would have joined an alliance," he said.

The NCP maintains that its participation is driven by political positioning rather than numerical gains.

Nahid Islam said, "We will nominate candidates from minority communities and injured or martyred families in proportion to their representation. We have not left any seat vacant for any special individual. This is an open process, and if allegations of extortion or links to fascism surface against anyone, their nomination will be cancelled. This process will continue until all 300 seats are announced."

He added, "We are not contesting the election to go to power. We will field candidates in 300 constituencies who will work as the force for the 'Yes' side in the referendum. They will approach voters and speak in favour of 'Yes', not ask them to vote for the Shapla Koli symbol."