AL move to find new allies fails to get much traction

Most of the old Islamist allies of Awami League remain with the party ahead of the next general election but the ruling party's initiative to find new allies from the Islamists is not getting much traction.

Moreover, the ruling party’s good relation with Islami Andolon Bangladesh was strained recently. Awami League is not getting much positive response about bringing the Islamist parties allied with BNP and other independent ones to the election.

As Awami League has taken the strategy of bringing in some more Islamic parties alongside old allies, the party at the same time wanted some Islamist allies of BNP to join polls, even if the BNP does not participate in the polls.

But leaders of those parties said they don’t want to nod the ruling party’s initiative just now and would observe the political development. They said most of the Islamist parties are observing the ongoing movement of BNP.

These parties also bide their time wanting to understand if AL would be able to successfully hold yet another election boycotted by BNP and opposition parties.  

Several AL leaders also conceded that the initiative to bring more Islamist parties to their alliance or neutralize them keeping at a distance from BNP has not succeeded yet.

The party has doubt if all Islamist parties would join polls if BNP boycotts it. Yet, AL as a party and the government want to keep trying to this end.

Of the 47 parties registered with the election commission, 11 are Islamist parties. These are Jaker Party, Bangladesh Tariqat Federation, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Khelafat Majlish, Jamiat Ulamae Islam Bangladesh, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Islami Oikya Jot, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Islamic Front, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and the recently registered Bangladesh Supreme Party.

There are innumerable other Islamist parties that aren’t registered with the EC. Their number is unknown even to other Islamist parties.

According to results of national elections 1991 onwards, Jamaat-e-Islami has the most votes after Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party.

Chormonai Pir’s party Islami Andolon Bangladesh has appeared as a force to reckon with among Islamist parties in recent times.

Other than these two, Khelafat Majlish founded by Shaikhul Hadis Ajijul Haque and Islami Oikya Jote founded by Fazlul Haque Amini are influential Islamist parties.

AL sources said the Islamist parties that had good relations with the party during the 2008 national election still remain with it. Of them, Tariqat Federation is a component of the 14-party alliance led by AL and Jaker Party was in AL-led grand alliance. These two parties are still with AL.

Islamic Front Bangladesh has long been trying to be a part of the 14-party alliance but failed due to objections from the alliance’s left parties and Tariqat Federation. Islamic Front, however, would remain by the side of AL under any circumstances and join the polls.

The party’s chairman Syed Bahadur Shah Mojaddedi told Prothom Alo that his party is preparing to take part in the election held with prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the helm. The party wants to field candidates in all 300 constituencies. Bangladesh Islamic Front is another party known as pro-AL. This party was an ally of Jatiya Party before the election in 2018.

Several other unregistered small Islamist parties have been with AL for a long time. These parties don’t have their own ‘vote bank’. AL leaders said these parties might increase the number of allies. One such alliance is Liberal Islamic Alliance led by Maizbhandar Pir Syed Saifuddin Ahmmed and Misbahur Rahman Chowdhury. This alliance has six members. The recently registered Bangladesh Supreme Party is one of the components of this alliance.

Jamaat was BNP’s ally for the better part since restoration of democratic politics in the country in 1991. AL got Jamaat by its side during the simultaneous movement for caretaker government before the general election of 1996. BNP and Jamaat forged an alliance for a long time before the election in 2001.  Jamaat lost its registration after the top leadership of the party was hanged for crimes against humanity during 1971. As a result, the party’s relation with AL is sour now.

Before the 2018 elections, Jamaat somewhat lost importance after BNP formed Jatiya Oikya Front with several moderate parties. At present Jamaat has no official relation with BNP. However, AL thinks that there is internal communication between the two parties.

Government and AL sources said after BNP started to maintain a distance from Jamaat, AL had a sort of ‘working relation’ with the party. But an overt alliance between AL and Jammat is implausible. That’s why AL wanted Jamaat to keep away from the BNP and take part in the next general election. Meanwhile, Jamaat also tried to give an impression that they are preparing to join the election to keep BNP under pressure.  Several Jamaat leaders in different districts including Barishal and Bagura also put up posters for taking part in the polls. In the meantime, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader and BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir blamed each other for delegating Jamaat in the field.  Sources of both AL and BNP, however, said Jamaat has taken a ‘mysterious’ stance to increase their importance in the political arena.

After Jamaat’s registration was cancelled, Charmonai Pir’s Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) regularly took part in national and local elections. AL tried to keep the party by its side. IAB also maintained a bonhomie with the AL to take the void of Jamaat. The party tried to forge an alliance with some Islamist and other parties with an objective to create a strong bargaining position for it. BNP also tried to win the confidence of IAB. AL’s joint secretary and information minister Hasan Mahmud and BNP’s vice chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu both share the same stage in the council of IAB held in Suhrawardy Uddyan on 2 January. But IAB’s relation with AL got strained as the party’s nayeb e ameer and Barishal city corporation election’s mayoral candidate Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim came under attack during the polls. The IAB is now assumed to be closer to the opposition than to AL.

IAB’s senior joint secretary and spokesperson Gazi Ataur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the party has already made it clear that it wouldn’t take part in polls if held under the current administration.

Asked if the party is united with the opposition in the ongoing movement, Ataur said, “We are also an opposition party. We are in the field on our own.”

AL tried to forge somewhat good relations with Islami Oikya Jote and Khelafat Majlish after the parties severed their ties with BNP. But the initiative botched after the arrest of Khelafat Majlish’s secretary general Mamunul Haque in 2021. Islami Oikya Jote’s secretary Mufti Faizullah is, however, considered as pro-government. But the party is yet to confirm taking part in the polls.

Faizullah told Prothom Alo, “We are with neither Awami League nor BNP. We are an independent party.”

About participation in the polls, Faizullah said his party would take part if the election is fair and participatory.

An alliance of 58 ‘unknown’ Islamist parties has announced its allegiance to Raushan Ershad. Jatiya Party’s founder HM Ershad announced the formation of the alliance named United National Alliance (UNA) in 2017 in the run up to the national election. The alliance was not seen anywhere after the general election in 2018.

Sources said the government is backing up this alliance now. AL sources said the maneuvering with the Islamist parties would increase further after the announcement of polls schedule.

AL’s joint secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said all parties are preparing to join the polls. These matters would be clearer after the announcement of the polls schedule.