10 parties, including Jamaat, reach understanding for 250 seats, leaving 50 seats for Islami Andolan; candidates will be announced tonight

An agreement has been reached for 250 constituencies involving Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and 9 other parties, leaving 50 seats for Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

This initiative has been named the ''11-party electoral alliance.''

It has been announced that the candidate list for the 250 seats will be revealed tonight at 8 PM at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the capital.

Maulana Mamunul Haque, leader of the Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, has been given the responsibility by the 10 parties to keep Islami Andolan in this agreement until the end.

At around 11:30 AM on Thursday, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and the other 10 parties sat in a meeting at Jamaat''s central office in Moghbazar to finalise the seat agreement, sources at the meeting indicates this.

Sources at the meeting stated that there were discussions on how many seats would be allocated to each party.

Towards the end of the meeting, the senior deputy leader of Khilafat Majlis, Mohammad Muntasir Ali, told journalists outside the Jamaat office that the candidate list for the 250 seats would be announced at 8 PM tonight at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the capital. 50 seats have been left vacant for Islami Andolan. If they do not come, candidates will be announced for the remaining seats later.

After leaving the ongoing meeting in the afternoon, Rashed Pradhan, vice-president and spokesperson of the National Democratic Party (Jagpa), informed journalists that Maulana Mamunul Haque has been given the responsibility for discussions regarding seat agreements with Islami Andolan Bangladesh. He is in talks with the Char Monai Peer.

After the meeting, Mamunul Haque informed journalists that the meeting ended in the presence of the 10 parties and discussions were held with Islami Andolan as well. Detailed information will be shared at the press conference tonight. He expressed hope that the announcement could be made including Islami Andolan.

Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), commented on the political significance of the 11-party alliance, adding that there is public interest in it. Everyone expects democratic progress through competitive elections. Any differences will be resolved shortly, and efforts will be made to keep the alliance intact. Despite some differences of opinion, the coalition process will continue.

The NCP''s convener stated that there would be no party candidates for the 300 seats, all will be coalition candidates and will support each other.

Participants in today''s meeting included Jamaat''s Deputy Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Assistant Secretary General and coordinator of the 11 parties Hamidur Rahman Azad, NCP''s convener Nahid Islam, Mahmoodul Haque, leader of Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Secretary General Jalal Uddin Ahmed, Khilafat Majlis Secretary General Ahmad Abdul Kader, AB Party''s Chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju, Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan''s Secretary General Yusuf Sadik Haqqani, Bangladesh Nejame Islam Party''s Senior Deputy Amir Maulana Abdul Majid Athari, and Jagpa''s spokesperson Rashed Pradhan, among others.

When asked about not attending the meeting, Islami Andolan''s Senior Joint Secretary and spokesperson Gazi Ataur Rahman told Prothom Alo over the phone at 1:30 PM that they learned about the meeting at 10 AM in the morning. As a result, they could not prepare to attend, but discussions with Jamaat are ongoing, and the door for negotiations is not yet closed.

No decision has been made to part ways.

Both parties continue to keep the door open for agreement
Negotiations regarding seat agreements with Jamaat are ongoing with Islami Andolan. As a result, discussions have arisen regarding a new agreement involving several parties under the leadership of Islami Andolan.

However, there has not been any official statement from Jamaat or Islami Andolan about forming a separate alliance. Instead, both parties have kept the door open for agreement.

This afternoon, Jamaat-e-Islami''s Amir Shafiqur Rahman posted a status on his verified Facebook page, stating, ''Recently, we have noticed that some people have started making unwanted and misleading comments and writings about Islami Andolan Bangladesh on social media, intending to show solidarity and sympathy toward Jamaat-e-Islami.''

He writes, ''I want to humbly request you—if you truly love Jamaat-e-Islami, you must refrain from engaging in such unwanted activities.''

On the other hand, Islami Andolan issued a press release in the afternoon stating that while some discomfort has been created, it is not yet time to make any definitive statements on the agreement. Leaders continue to engage in multifaceted and multiparty discussions. If a situation emerges where definitive information can be shared, Islami Andolan and other parties will officially inform the nation.