The National Citizens Party (NCP) has decided to form an alliance with eight like-minded parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, to make the elections fair and acceptable and for the sake of greater political unity, said party convener Nahid Islam. He added that the party's final candidate list will be announced tomorrow.
He said these things at an emergency press conference organized at the NCP's temporary office in Bangla Motor in the capital on Sunday (December 28) night.
Nahid Islam said that based on the agreement reached with eight like-minded parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, only the determined candidates of the NCP will submit their nomination papers. This alliance will participate in the elections together across the country. He said that the NCP and its affiliated organizations will actively campaign for the referendum. Where there is no NCP candidate, the candidates of other parties that are partners in the agreement will be supported and campaigned on their behalf.
Explaining the reason behind the election agreement, he said that the NCP was preparing and planning to field candidates in 300 seats as per the previous announcement. Later, a political agreement was reached with two more parties on the reform issue and it was decided that the three parties would participate in the elections together. However, the day after the election schedule was announced, the political situation in the country changed dramatically after the public shooting of Inqilab Manch spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. He said, this assassination proves that hegemonic and aggressive forces are still active in the country and that the forces defeated in the popular uprising are continuing their conspiracy to sabotage the elections.
After detailed discussions in the party forum in the changed political reality, we have come to the conclusion that greater political unity is essential to keep the elections fair and competitive at the present time and so that no hegemonic force can disrupt the progress after the popular uprising. Out of that need, an electoral agreement has been reached with eight like-minded parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami. We have all decided to participate in the elections together.
I am not with the current NCP: Mahfuz
Nahid Islam further said that this electoral agreement is on the one hand a strategy to overcome the elections, and on the other hand part of implementing the party's position on issues related to reform and justice. The decision to walk the path of greater unity has been taken with the aim of saving the country from the current crisis and keeping the expectations of the July generation and the post-people's uprising intact.
Author: Vk Das
