Jatiya Party leaders Manju, Anisul to launch new 16-party alliance ahead of polls

A new multi-party political alliance is set to launch ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, bringing together the Jatiya Party factions led by Anisul Islam Mahmud and Anwar Hossain Manju, along with several smaller groups, reports bdnews24.com.

Ruhul Amin Hawlader, secretary general of the Anisul-led faction of the Jatiya Party, said the alliance is expected to comprise 16 parties.

"We will formally launch the coalition tomorrow (Monday). Leaders of all member parties will be present," he told reporters on Saturday.

The decision was made at a meeting on Nov 27 at Hawlader Tower in the capital's Gulshan area, where Hawlader was also appointed spokesperson for the new bloc. A press conference to introduce the alliance will be held at Emmanuelle's Party Centre in Gulshan-1 on Monday morning.

The development comes as Jatiya Party remains fractured into three factions, each claiming ownership of the party's long-standing electoral symbol, the plough.

Of the three groups, the one led by GM Quader, brother of the late party founder HM Ershad, is registered with the Election Commission.

Raushan Ershad, widow of former military stronger Ershad, has also revived her faction, asserting that her group is the "sole rightful claim" to the symbol.

Anisul and Hawlader, along with several senior leaders, broke away in August after a court issued a temporary injunction restricting Quader's authority. Kazi Firoz Rashid and Abu Hossain Bablu subsequently defected from Raushon's camp to join them. The splinter group has since written to the Election Commission asserting that it represents the "real Jatiya Party", further deepening the party's internal rifts ahead of the polls.