Bangladesh’s NCP Faces Internal Turmoil Ahead Of First General Election | World News
The newly formed political party in Bangladesh, the National Citizen Party (NCP), is preparing to contest its first national elections amid internal instability following a wave of resignations over its decision to form an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami.
This internal instability has weakened key structures and exposed a leadership vacuum within the party, local media reported on Wednesday.
The NCP, which emerged from the 2024 student-led protests against the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, is now facing organizational fragmentation in its preparations for the February 12 elections.
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According to a report in Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, although nomination papers have been submitted, the party lacks election-ready structures, which include important tasks such as strategy planning and manifesto drafting, which are either delayed or incomplete.
Reports indicate that at least 15 senior leaders of the NCP, including members of the election steering committee, manifesto committee and policy and research wing, have resigned in the last two weeks, while several others have become ineffective, undermining the party’s organizational capacity.
Grassroots party leaders, meanwhile, described the resignations as a serious setback and noted that heads and core members of multiple cells responsible for office, media relations, publicity and information and communications technology were inactive or had left the party.
As a result, routine party operations were disrupted and activities were forced to continue only on a limited scale, they said.
A senior NCP leader, who spoke to The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, admitted that the party was not fully prepared for the elections, adding that with less than 40 days to go, attention had shifted from detailed planning to short-term tactical execution.
According to local media reports, NCP Senior Associate Member Secretary Ariful Islam Adeeb on Tuesday acknowledged the leadership crisis within the party.
Reports indicate that internal discord within the NCP emerged in the final phase of alliance negotiations with the Jamaat-led alliance.
A section within the NCP reportedly viewed the alliance with the Jamaat as a highly anti-ideological and politically ‘suicidal decision’, which led to a wave of resignations and most of the senior leaders within the party became inactive.
Last week, several NCP leaders alleged that the decision to alliance with the Jamaat was mainly taken by two “special” personalities within the party, sidelining the majority of the central leadership.
Speaking to Bangladeshi Bengali newspaper ‘Jugantor’, a senior leader of NCP said, “Though I have not resigned, I have already distanced myself from all activities of the party. Some senior party leaders have unanimously said that I should at least not resign. If I resign, most of the leaders who lead the NCP in the centre, divisions and various areas of the party will resign at the same time.”
Elections in Bangladesh, scheduled for February 12, are taking place amid rising political tensions and intensifying dissatisfaction with the NCP’s decision to align with the Jamaat in the upcoming elections.
