Dhaka, Jan 24 (PTI) A new party on Saturday joined the Jamaat-e-Islami-led electoral alliance ahead of the February 12 parliament election.
With the inclusion of the Bangladesh Labour Party, the alliance
once again comprises 11 partners, a week after an Islamic party announced its exit.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is the country’s largest Islamic political party.
On Saturday, Bangladesh Labour Party (BLP) chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran along with Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and its National Election Management Committee Convener Maulana A T M Masum made the announcement of the BLP’s entry into the alliance at a press conference here, according to the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
The Bangladesh Labour Party was included in the alliance “after discussing with the central leaders of the 10 parties,” Bangla newspaper Prathom Alo quoted Jamaat-e-Islami’s Masum as saying.
The Labour Party believes what is needed is “not just a change of power, but a meaningful transformation of the state,” its chairman Iran was quoted as saying by The Business Standard.
With the inclusion of the Bangladesh Labour party, the alliance once again comprises 11 parties: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party, Bangladesh Development Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (NDP), National Citizen Party (NCP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), AB Party, and Bangladesh Labour Party, the BSS added.
Earlier on January 16, Islamic Movement Bangladesh, also known as Islami Andolan Bangladesh, announced its exit from the Jamaat-led alliance.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s top leader Gazi Ataur Rahman had claimed that the party quit the alliance after being “deprived of justice” regarding seat allocations. He had also accused the Jamaat-led grouping of “deviating from Islamic ideals.” Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged as the frontrunner in the changed political landscape in the country after the interim government disbanded deposed premier Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League last year.
The Islamic political groups and parties formed the grand alliance recently in an effort to consolidate the votes of their supporters under what was called the “one box policy”, despite ideological differences among the parties. PTI NPK NPK NPK
