The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Friday assured that the party would contest the upcoming national election in alliance with like-minded political parties.
The assurance came during a coordination meeting at the BNP chair鈥檚 political office in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan, said several leaders after the meeting.
The party has also instructed the allies鈥� members to remain vigilant against both online and offline propaganda campaigns against it and its allies ahead of the election.
Leaders from the 12-Party Alliance, Jatiyatabadi Somomona Jote, Liberal Democratic Party, and Bangladesh Labour Party joined the meeting.
BNP acting chair Tarique Rahman, who joined the session virtually from London, delivered the opening speech.
Addressing leaders of the simultaneous movement during the Awami League regime, he said that through their unity and prolonged struggle, fascism had been overthrown in July by a mass uprising led by students and participated by the public.
He expressed optimism that a democratic and welfare-oriented Bangladesh, guided by the party鈥檚 31-point agenda, would emerge through the people鈥檚 mandate in the forthcoming election.
Meeting sources also said that Tarique Rahman expressed concern about ongoing conspiracies despite the declaration of the election road map.
He warned against efforts to disrupt the electoral process and urged all allies to remain united in resisting such plots.
The allied party leaders advised the BNP acting chair to formally participate in the national election as part of a coalition. In response, Tarique Rahman assured them that the BNP would contest the polls and form the government alongside its movement partners.
He also informed them of his intention to return to Bangladesh soon and meet the alliance leaders in person.
A total of six leaders of the alliances and allied political parties spoke at the meeting and raised their demands citing their role during the Sheikh Hasina-led regime against anti-government movement.
They said that despite oppression, jailing, and killing suffered by party leaders, they did not leave the alliance and took forward the movement together against Hasina鈥檚 misrule.
When asked, Liberal聽 Democratic Party鈥檚 Shahadat Hossain Selim said, 鈥榃e urged the BNP chair to settle the seat-sharing issue as the election is nearing and he told us that the BNP would maintain their previous commitment regarding the alliance members.鈥�
The meeting was moderated by BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan while BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 12-Party Alliance leader and Jatiya Party (Zafar) chair Mostafa Jamal Haider, LDP secretary general Redwan Ahmed, NPP chair Dr. Fariduzzaman Farhad, and Bangladesh Labour Party chair Dr Mostafizur Rahman Iran, LDP chair Shahadat Hossain Selim, Bangladesh Jatiya Party chair Syed Ehsanul Huda, among 60 leaders from various allied parties, took part in the meeting.
BNP standing committee member Begum Selima Rahman and vice-chair Abdul Awal Mintoo were also present at the meeting.
Another meeting between Tarique Rahman and allied leaders is scheduled to take place today.
