Two more political parties — the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Colonel (retd.) Oli Ahmed — have joined the Jamaat-e-Islami-led political coalition ahead of the upcoming national election, turning the previous eight-party understanding into a 10-party electoral alliance.
Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman announced the development at an urgent press conference held at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Sunday afternoon. He said the alliance had already been working together with a shared goal of building a corruption-free and justice-oriented Bangladesh, especially at a time when the country is going through a difficult phase. “Now NCP and LDP have officially become part of this effort,” he added.
He said discussions with NCP concluded shortly before the briefing, though NCP leaders could not join the press conference due to time constraints. NCP Convener Nahid Islam has already discussed matters with the alliance leadership and conveyed the party’s decisions. NCP is expected to hold its own press conference soon to explain its position in more detail.
According to Shafiqur Rahman, the 10-party alliance has reached a “solid electoral understanding,” and the process of finalizing candidates for all 300 constituencies is nearly complete. Talks over a few seats are still ongoing. Although several other parties showed interest in joining, time limitations have prevented their inclusion for now.
On seat-sharing, he said most of the negotiations were done and the remaining minor issues would be resolved through discussion after nomination submissions.
Looking ahead to the election, the Jamaat chief said all parties involved are committed to ensuring a fair and acceptable election and support holding it on the scheduled date. However, he noted that a level playing field is still missing and urged the government and the Election Commission to act neutrally, free from greed, fear, or bias.
Responding to a question, he stressed that the alliance is not only about contesting the election — it is a broader political initiative aimed at nation-building, and he expects the parties to stand together on major national issues in the future.
LDP Chairman Colonel (retd.) Oli Ahmed was present beside the Jamaat chief during the press conference but did not speak. The event was conducted by Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Mamunul Haque, with several top leaders from like-minded Islamic and allied political parties also in attendance.