Tasnim Jara quits NCP to run independently as Jamaat-NCP alliance almost finalised
Highlights
- Jamaat-NCP seat-sharing nearly complete
- 30 NCP leaders write to Nahid Islam objecting alliance with Jamaat
- Asif Mahmud, Mahfuz Alam expected to join NCP
- Tasnim Jara to run as independent candidate from Dhaka-9
NCP senior joint member secretary Tasnim Jara has resigned from the party and announced that she will contest the upcoming election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-9 constituency. This comes as seat-sharing negotiations between the Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) are close to being finalised.
Speaking to The Business Standard last night, five NCP leaders said the seat-sharing arrangement with Jamaat-e-Islami is nearly complete. "Negotiations are currently underway over a list of around 30 seats for our candidates. The final settlement is likely to be around that number," they said.
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They added that Tasnim Jara has already announced her resignation, while Asif Mahmud and Mahfuz Alam are expected to join the NCP within the next few days. Asif Mahmud is likely to contest either from Dhaka-10 or from a constituency in Cumilla. Mahfuz Alam will not contest for the lower house but is interested in becoming a member of the upper house. However, Mahfuz Alam's brother Mahbub Alam may contest from Lakshmipur.
Meanwhile, on Saturday night (27 December), 30 leaders sent a memorandum titled "Principled objections regarding a potential alliance in light of the July mass uprising and party values" to Nahid Islam.
The matter was confirmed to The Business Standard by Mushfiq Us Saleheen, the first signatory to the memorandum. He is the party's media secretary and a joint member secretary.
The memorandum states that the signatories are clearly registering their objection to recent discussions regarding a political alliance or seat-sharing arrangement with Jamaat-e-Islami and the eight-party bloc.
It urges the party leadership to give due importance to these principled concerns when determining alliance policy and to take a clear stance against entering into any political alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. "We believe strategy should be determined on the basis of principles, not that principles should be sacrificed for tactical reasons," the letter says.
The memorandum points out various "misdeeds" committed by Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir in recent times such as misinformation and propaganda surrounding student union elections involving Bangladesh Democratic Students' Council (Bagchas) and later Chhatra Shakti, character assassination of female members of the NCP and its student wing through online networks, and, above all, the growing risk of religion-based social fascism — all of which, the letter says, pose an ominous threat to the country's future.
The memorandum further notes that Jamaat-e-Islami's political history, particularly its anti-independence role during the 1971 Liberation War, collaboration in genocide, and its stance on crimes committed during that period, fundamentally conflict with Bangladesh's democratic spirit and the party's values.
It says that as a political force emerging from a democratic mass uprising, the party's responsibility is to steer the state and society towards a path where human rights, religious tolerance, gender equality, minority protection, civil rights and democratic values remain intact. Any alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami would weaken this moral position and have long-term negative effects on the party's political credibility.
The letter also recalls that both Nahid Islam and chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari had previously announced plans to contest independently in all 300 constituencies, and later declared the formation of a "Democratic Reform Alliance" after reaching consensus on reform issues.
Among the signatories of the memorandum are joint member secretaries Mushfiq Us Saleheen, SM Saif Mostafiz, Faridul Haque, Md Farhad Alam Bhuiyan and Iman Syed. Arman Hossain is listed as a central organiser, while Arpita Shyama Dev, Nusrat Tabassum and Khaled Saifullah are among the joint conveners.
Meanwhile, in a post on her verified Facebook page on Saturday evening, Tasnim Jara wrote that due to the prevailing realities, she has decided not to contest the election as a candidate of any specific party or alliance. "I promised you and the people of this country that I would fight for you and for building a new political culture. No matter the circumstances, I am determined to keep that promise. That is why I will contest the election from Dhaka-9 as an independent candidate."
