Political parties of Bangladesh are consolidating their positions and pursuing at least four election alliance initiatives ahead of the national elections likely to be held in mid-February, 2026.
The initiatives include efforts of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to coordinate with partners from the likeminded organisations and simultaneous movements, moves to form a unified electoral platform among Islamic parties led by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, creating a bloc of left-wing organisations, and an alliance of parties outside the left-and-right spectrum.
According to BNP leaders, they were considering forming an alliance to collaborate with every party except the Jamaat.
Discussions between the partners of the simultaneous BNP movements are also going on, with clearer decisions in this regard expected later, they commented.
Meanwhile, the Jamaat is exploring coalitions with Islamic parties, but some of the parties or groups have shown reluctance in joining a Jamaat-led election alliance.
BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku on Friday told 抖阴精品 that their party was yet to begin talks on the structure of an electoral coalition.
Such discussions, he said, would only begin after the election schedule is announced.
In the meantime, the BNP is focusing on uniting the parties that joined its simultaneous movement, he said.
Tuku also revealed that BNP acting chair Tarique Rahman had reassured these groups of continued cooperation in both elections and nation building.
Meanwhile, Tarique Rahman held meetings with the partners in the simultaneous movements on Friday and Saturday, where he assured them that the BNP would continue its cooperation with its partners in both the election and government formation.
The 12-Party Alliance coordinator, Shahadat Hossain Selim, said that the upcoming election would be a central focus of the discussions among political parties, with strategies still evolving.
He said that the BNP acting chair had made a gentleman鈥檚 commitment with respect to the election and government formation, adding that the party had not deviated from this position.
Selim said that the commitment was likely about seat-sharing, which the BNP saw as more practical than creating a broad coalition of right, left, and centrist groups. Leaders of Islamic parties said that they were exploring the possibility of forming alliances to enhance their bargaining power.
Islamic parties, they said, are positioning themselves with varying degrees of openness to coalition-building, reflecting both strategic interests and ideological boundaries.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh senior joint secretary general Gazi Ataur Rahman acknowledged some distance with the Jamaat, but added that efforts were being made to bridge the gap through election coordination and understanding.
He said that most parties involved could be considered consenting, which made him optimistic about progress.
Ataur also said that they were actively engaging with both Islamic and non-Islamic parties, including the National Citizen Party, Amar Bangladesh Party, and Gono Odhikar Parishad.
Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, confirmed that discussions were going on with both Islamic and non-Islamic parties.
He said that the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam had strongly objected to the Jamaat鈥檚 inclusion in any alliance but expressed optimism that the party would eventually join the broader initiative.
Zubair said that electoral alliances could be formed even when there were ideological differences, underscoring the Jamaat鈥檚 commitment to coalition-building.
Jamiat secretary general Monjurul Islam Afindi said that his party was sincere about the unity process but could not sacrifice its originality.
鈥業f any party wishes to move forward with the Jamaat, we can鈥檛 be part of that arrangement,鈥� he said.
On a possible alliance with the BNP, Afindi said that no discussions had yet taken place to this end.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish secretary general Jalaluddin Ahmed said that while some groups were distant from the Jamaat, others, including the Islami Andolan, favoured its inclusion.
He said that an emerging alliance of Islamic political groups was preparing to expand its membership to six parties as it positioned itself ahead of the upcoming national election.
According to Jalaluddin, the alliance has already included the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Nizam-e-Islam Party and Khelafat Majlish, with two more parties 鈥� the Islami Oikkya Jote and Khelafat Andolan 鈥� set to join the alliance, bringing the total to six.
Regarding an alliance with the BNP, Jalaluddin said that they had no formal talks with the BNP yet, but informal contacts occurred occasionally, similar to their interactions with Jamaat leaders.
Khelafat Majlish secretary general Ahmad Abdul Quader said that while no concrete talks had taken place so far, he expected discussions to begin soon and hoped that unity among Islamic parties could be achieved despite some differences of opinion.
He said that efforts would be made to build consensus, including with the Jamaat, with preliminary talks expected to conclude before the election schedule was announced, while candidate selection would follow the publication of the polls timetable.
Amar Bangladesh Party chair Mojibur Rahman Monju said that multiple discussions on electoral alliances were under way across the political spectrum, but most of the talks remained at a preliminary and unofficial stage.
Speaking about the evolving election-oriented political landscape, Monju highlighted that several blocs were exploring options, though clear decisions might only emerge when the election would be closer.
Centrist parties like the AB Party and the NCP are taking a cautious approach to pre-election alliances, leaving the final structure uncertain until the polls will be nearer.
Monju said that parties positioned 鈥榠n between鈥� the left and the right were considering forming a separate alliance, though formal talks were yet to begin.
Monju further said that they had held discussions with the Islami Andolan, but clarified that the AB Party would not join any alliance formed solely by Islamic parties.聽
An NCP leader said that they had not yet taken a definitive stance and continued to assess its options.
He said that they had developed a kind of alliance during the National Consensus Commission talks with some Islamic and moderate political parties.
The NCP leader said that the party would decide on the nature of any alliance based on the final NCC decision regarding the July Charter and whether their proposals on constitutional reforms were accepted.
Left Democratic Alliance coordinator Ruhin Hossain Prince said that the alliance was aiming to expand its existing coalition into a broader electoral alliance to advance democratic change.
The alliance is seeking to broaden its existing coalition into a wider electoral alliance as part of its efforts to promote democratic changes, Prince said.
鈥楧iscussions are currently under way with parties outside the current bloc as well as with democratic forces that have participated in various movements over time,鈥� he said.
Prince, also the general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said that the objective was to widen the unity and strengthen the struggle for change, with a view to establishing an alternative system.
The LDA currently includes the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh, Democratic Revolutionary Party, Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Party.
