Last Updated on January 15, 2026 3:23 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
WEB DESK
Bangladesh’s Islamist political alliance ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election has come under strain as Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) signalled the possibility of a new political alignment amid deepening disputes with Jamaat-e-Islami over seat-sharing. Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday, IAB spokesperson and senior joint secretary general Gazi Ataur Rahman said political equations could still change before the February 12 election. “January 20 is the last day for withdrawing nomination papers.
Anything can happen until February 12,” he said, indicating that the party was keeping its options open beyond the Jamaat-led alliance. The remarks came as a much-anticipated press conference by Jamaat and its 11 allied parties to announce seat allocations was postponed at the last moment, officially due to “unavoidable reasons.” Party sources, however, said the delay stemmed from unresolved disagreements, particularly with Islami Andolan and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis.
At the centre of the rift is seat-sharing. Islami Andolan has been seeking around 50 constituencies, while Jamaat is reportedly unwilling to concede more than 40. Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, led by Mamunul Haque, has demanded 25-30 seats but has been offered a maximum of 20. The deadlock has fuelled mistrust within the alliance, with accusations of unilateral decisions and opaque negotiations by Jamaat.
IAB leaders are also unhappy over Jamaat’s backchannel talks with other parties, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), allegedly without informing existing allies. Further unease was sparked after Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman publicly discussed future governance cooperation with BNP leader Tarique Rahman, which some IAB leaders see as duplicity.
Gazi Ataur Rahman said Islami Andolan would not accept “imposed decisions” and stressed that compromise must be based on mutual respect. He added that the party was consulting leaders at all levels and that a final decision would be taken by its highest policymaking body, the Majlis-e-Amela, within a day or two. While he said talks with Jamaat had not formally collapsed, he confirmed that IAB was also in discussions with other political forces.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis has likewise warned that if Islami Andolan exits the alliance, it may reconsider its own position. Jamaat leaders, however, have expressed optimism that an agreement will still be reached and that the alliance will remain intact. The unfolding rift has cast uncertainty over the Islamist bloc’s “one-box” strategy of fielding single agreed candidates in each constituency. With nomination withdrawals approaching, the alliance now faces the risk of fragmentation at a critical stage of the election campaign.