National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam said on Thursday (January 22) that the Jamaat-e-Islami-led “10-party electoral unity” was set to win the upcoming Jatiya Sangsad election by a “huge” margin.
He made the comments while speaking to journalists after paying respects at the Mausoleum of Three Leaders on the Dhaka University campus at around 12pm, shortly before the party formally began its election campaign.
“The 10-party electoral unity will win by a huge vote and form the government, Insha-Allah. The people of Bangladesh are with us,” Nahid said.
He also said there was “no alternative” to a victory for the 10-party alliance to carry forward reforms in line with the “aspirations of July”.
Calling on voters nationwide to back the alliance, Nahid—described as one of the key figures of the July mass uprising—urged the public to “make the 10-party alliance victorious; make the alliance’s symbol victorious,” and to elect the 30 NCP candidates contesting across the country with the party’s
“Shapla Koli” symbol and send them to parliament. In parliament, he said, the NCP and the alliance would speak for ordinary people, the mass uprising, reforms and sovereignty.
Responding to a question, he said the NCP wanted the 12 February election to be held “at any cost”, and that winning and entering parliament was now their “only agenda”.
Nahid accused the government and the Election Commission of failing to act neutrally, alleging they were offering “special facility” to a particular party.
He said that although campaigning rules had not yet taken effect, that party had campaigned in recent days without action by the Election Commission, while the NCP had received a show-cause notice for campaigning in support of a “Yes” vote.
He said the party had repeatedly argued that neutrality required neutral conduct, adding that the NCP remained firmly in favour of reforms and justice, and likewise maintained a firm position in support of elections and a referendum. He said the party would do whatever was necessary to ensure a free and fair election on 12 February.
Nahid also sought votes for Nasiruddin Patwari—the NCP’s chief coordinator and the 10-party alliance candidate in Dhaka-8—under the “Shapla Koli” symbol.
He said Patwari was raising the hopes of the people of Bangladesh, as well as the hardship, sorrow and suffering of Dhaka-8 residents, and was speaking out against corruption, extortionists and militants in the area, as well as what he called the “new mafia” and “new zamindars” of Dhaka-8.
Patwari and other senior party leaders were present during the remarks.
Later, NCP leaders visited the graves of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and martyr Sharif Osman Hadi, described as a “July revolutionary” and an “anti-Indian hegemony” martyr, before setting off on their campaign journey. The procession—dubbed the “March for Justice”—ended in front of the National Press Club, the party said.
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