Jatiya Party factions of Anisul, Manju come together in new alliance

A new alliance called the National Democratic Front (NDF) has been formed, which includes the Jatiya Party faction led by Anisul Islam Mahmud and as well as Anwar Hossain Manju's Jatiya party-JP, reports bdnews24.com.

Anisul announced the formation of the new alliance at a press briefing on Monday.

The other parties in the alliance are the Janata Party Bangladesh, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Trinamool BNP, Bangladesh Shangskritik Mukti Jote, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Andolon (Bangladesh Nationalist Movement BNM), Bangladesh Muslim League, Jatiya Islamic Maha Jote, Jatiya Sangskar Jote, Bangladesh Labour Party, Jatiya Shwadhinata Party, Bangladesh Manbadhikar Party, Bangladesh Sarbajanin Dal, Bangladesh Janakalyan Party, Applied Democratic Party, Bangladesh Ganatantrik Andolon, Democratic Party, and Bangladesh Jatiya League.

Anisul has been selected as NDF president while the chief coordinator is Janata Party Bangladesh Acting Chairman Golam Sarwar Milon and the chief spokesperson is Ruhul Amin Howlader.

Earlier on Sunday, a new political alliance was formed by the National Citizens Party (NCP), Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), and the State Reform Movement, which has been named the "Ganatantrik Sangskar Jote" or "Democratic Culture Alliance".

Anisul said, "We have decided to form a political alliance to ensure real democratic change in Bangladesh, to create consensus addressing the existing political crisis, to do state reforms combining the spirit of Liberation War in 1971 and the mass uprising of 2024, to ensure Bangladeshi nationalism, to accelerate the moderate liberal democratic political movement, to believe in Islamic values while maintaining interfaith harmony, to establish an independent judiciary, to end fascism forever and to promote the dying voice of the people who are yearning for good governance."

"The parties in the alliance will play an active role in the upcoming elections and politics based on appropriate policies and a few demands, while nurturing their own ideologies and identities. It will be called Jatiya Ganatantrik Front (National Democratic Front)."

Three major factions of the Jatiya Party have been claiming the original party symbol, the plough, as their own. Among them, the faction led by GM Quader, brother of Jatiya Party founder Hussain Muhammad Ershad, is currently registered with the Election Commission with the "plough symbol." Although Raushon Ershad, wife of party founder HM Ershad, has been silent since breaking away from the party before the 12th general election, the faction led by her is currently saying they are the "only claimants" of the plough symbol.

Following the court's temporary ban on GM Quader, several senior leaders in the party, including Anisul Ruhul, and others, held a "unity conference" on Aug 9 and left the party. Abu Hossain Babla also joined them after leaving the faction led by Raushon.