Bangladesh's student-led party allies with Islamists ahead of election

Dhaka: The student-led Bangladeshi party born ​out of the protest movement that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has forged an electoral alliance with Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami ahead of February's parliamentary election, stirring internal rifts.

Since last year's ​uprising, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has cast itself as a centrist, reformist alternative to ‌nepotism and two-party dominance, but as the election nears, it ⁠is struggling to turn street power ‌into voter support.

NCP chief Nahid Islam said on Sunday the party had decided to enter into the alliance for greater unity, adding that the final list of candidates would be announced on Monday. Other NCP figures have described the alliance as a pragmatic step ​in a fragmented political landscape.

But the decision to join forces with Jamaat has already prompted internal ructions.

Tasnim Jara, a doctor who left a career in Britain to join the NCP, becoming a leader in the party, ‌resigned on Saturday and ‌said she would contest the election as an independent candidate. Several other members have also quit.

The alliance has drawn ⁠attention because Jamaat has long faced criticism for opposing Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan and its alleged role in 1971 war crimes. Years of trials, leadership bans and political marginalisation have left the party with a limited ⁠but loyal support base.

BNP regains momentum

Critics of the NCP's move ⁠said it undermined the party's founding ideals.

"The moral support I had ‌for the NCP will no longer exist due to this ideological ‌mismatch," said one university student, asking not to be named.

The partnership comes amid broader political realignments, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) - aligned with ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and effectively ‍led by her son, acting chair Tarique Rahman - regaining momentum following Rahman's return after nearly 17 years in exile.

The February 12 election will be held under an interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who took charge after Hasina's ouster and is seen as crucial to restoring political stability after nearly two years of turmoil.

A December survey by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute showed the NCP in a distant third place with 6% support, behind the BNP ​at 30% and Jamaat on ‌26%.

The alliance might shift voting trends but could hurt the NCP's long-term bid to become a dominant force, said Shakil Ahmed, a government and politics professor at Jahangirnagar University.