Tasnim Jara quits NCP to contest as independent candidate for Dhaka-9
The announcement comes amid discussions of NCP's possible alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami
National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Tasnim Jara has resigned from the party's senior joint member secretary post and announced that she will contest the upcoming election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-9 constituency.
"I have decided not to participate in the election as a candidate of any particular party or alliance. I promised you and the people of this country that I would fight for you and for establishing a new political culture. No matter the circumstances, I am determined to uphold that promise," she said in a post on her official Facebook page this evening (27 December).
The announcement comes amid discussions of NCP's possible alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami.
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NCP Joint Member Secretary Mushfiq Us Salehin confirmed Tasnim Zara's resignation to The Business Standard, saying, "Tasnim Jara submitted her resignation to NCP Convener Nahid Islam this evening."
She said that many had contributed to her recent election fundraising, and she respects those who wish to request a refund following her decision to contest as an independent candidate.
"Refunds will be processed after verifying the transaction IDs and details. For donations sent through the bank, I will provide instructions soon on how to receive your money back," she wrote.
Jara stated that signatures of 4,693 voters in a specific format are required for her to run as an independent candidate in the Dhaka-9 constituency, as per legal requirements.
"Collection of these signatures is scheduled to begin tomorrow. Details of the specific locations will be shared through a designated Facebook group," she said, providing link of the group.
Meanwhile, 30 NCP leaders have sent a letter to party convenor Nahid Islam, expressing their opposition to the possible alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami.
On 25 December, the executive committee of the National Citizen Party (NCP) held discussions on a possible seat-sharing agreement with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ahead of the national election, but the party has yet to reach a final decision.
Earlier on 6 December, Jara had announced that she will contest next year's national election from the Dhaka-9 constituency as a NCP candidate.
On 23 December, she announced that she has raised more than Tk23 lakh within just 14 hours of calling for donations for her election campaign.
