by Rashidul Hasan in The Daily Star, Dec 4, 2023
Jatiya Party leaders find themselves in an uncertain and uneasy situation ahead of the January 7 national election, as the party still hasn’t reached any consensus on seat sharing with Awami League.
In the last few elections, AL didn’t nominate anyone from certain constituencies to facilitate easy victories for top JP leaders. However, the ruling party aspirants are on the field this time in almost every constituency.
While JP leaders publicly say that they welcome a competitive election, behind the scenes, they are trying to reach an understanding with AL to secure victories for their key figures.
Speculation even circulates within JP circles that the party might withdraw from the election race if ensuring victory for its top-ranked leaders becomes increasingly challenging.
In the last few elections, AL didn’t nominate anyone from certain constituencies to facilitate easy victories for top JP leaders. However, the ruling party aspirants are on the field this time in almost every constituency.
“We are yet to figure out the strategy of Awami League. Our top leaders are anxious about securing victory, as all of them will have to go head-to-head with their nominees,” said a JP leader seeking anonymity.
In the recent five city corporation elections, BNP was absent; still, all Jatiya Party candidates, except in Sylhet, lost by a huge margin and forfeited their security deposits.
The JP higher-ups are now thinking of ways to avoid similar humiliations in national polls.
While direct negotiations between JP and AL have not started, a source within JP claims ongoing talks are being facilitated by a government agency. The expectation is that AL will leave enough seats for JP to make them the opposition on paper, as seen in the previous parliaments.
JP is aiming for approximately 40 to 50 seats, added the source.
Contacted, JP co-chairman Ruhul Amin Hawlader, who’s running in Patuakhali-1 against AL candidate Afzal Hossain, said, “Positive developments can occur at any time for the greater good. We are hopeful of reaching an understanding with the ruling party in this election, similar to the cooperation seen in the past three elections.”
Another co-chairman, seeking anonymity, said except for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, no one actually knows how the elections will be held. “We must reach an understanding with them [AL] to ensure victory for our candidates. Otherwise, we might withdraw from polls altogether.”
JP leaders say an alliance with AL depends on the political situation. In the last three elections, JP and AL reached consensus. In 2008, JP contested 49 seats and won 29 of them where AL didn’t contest, losing the remaining 20.
In 2014, despite Ershad’s boycott, some JP leaders participated under Raushan Ershad’s leadership, where party candidates secured victory in 33 seats where AL had no candidates, while only one JP candidate emerged victorious out of the 46 seats contested by both AL and JP candidates.
In 2018, AL refrained from fielding candidates in 26 JP seats, leading to JP winning in 21 of those constituencies.
However, JP candidates had lost security deposits in all 145 seats where both AL and JP candidates had contested.
Contacted, JP Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu said they are not too worried over it. “If voters can come to the vote centres, our candidates will win,” he added.
Notably, AL didn’t field an aspirant only in JP candidate Selim Osman’s Narayanganj-5 seat, considering the Osman family’s ties with the Bangabandhu family.
AL nominated aspirants in Rangpur-3 and Dhaka-17, where JP Chairman GM Quader is contesting.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/uncertainty-looms-over-jatiya-party-3485356
