Jatiya Nagarik Party (NCP) joined an alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and other like-minded parties, citing the need for a broader unity to protect the generation that actively participated in the July uprising, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said.
Nahid made the announcement at an urgent press conference held at NCP's temporary office in the city's Banglamotor on Sunday evening.
"We initially intended to contest the election independently and had prepared to field candidates in all 300 constituencies. However, incidents such as the killing of Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the Inqilab Moncho, prompted us to reconsider and take a new decision," Nahid said.
Referring to ongoing conspiracies to disrupt the February elections, he said the main aim of the defeated forces is to destroy the July generation. "To preserve the dreams of the July generation, NCP has joined hands with Jamaat."
Nahid emphasised that the alliance seeks broader unity to reform the country, ensure justice for the July mass killings, and curb hegemony and corruption. "From that perspective, we have joined this alliance to ensure a competitive election."
"We have taken the decision based on the majority opinion. The party will continue to operate according to its rules," Nahid said.
When asked how NCP's ideology aligns with Jamaat, he replied, "For now, the alliance is purely for electoral purposes. Post-election, we will decide whether to move forward together. The primary focus of the current alliance is the 13th national election and referendum."
Regarding seat-sharing, Nahid said, "No final decision has been made yet. We will announce the details at a press conference on Monday."
Earlier in the day, Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, at an urgent press briefing with like-minded parties, announced NCP's formal entry into the alliance. Besides NCP, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has also joined the coalition.
The Bangladesh Development Party later joined the process, forming an eight-party alliance that carried out prolonged joint movements on various demands.