With the 11th parliamentary election due by the end of this year, ruling Awami League has moved to form a larger coalition in an effort to counter its archrival BNP.
The party vowed to show no compromise on its ideological ground to form the polls-time coalition with the attempt to draw attention of Islamic parties that hold the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War.
The AL has been in power since it formed the 14-party alliance in 2008.
“14-party will remain and what we are going to do is to form an election-time collation,” Awami League Presidium member Mohammad Nasim told Bangla Tribune.
“A collation will be formed similar to that one which we formed with Jatiya Party in 2008,” he said.
Nasim, who is the spokesperson of the 14-alliance, however, clarified that ideological ground for the possible collation will be the ‘War of Independence'.
AL reportedly opened talks as its General Secretary Obaidul Quader has already met Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) chief Mujahidul Islam Selim.
According to sources at AL and CPB, both leaders discussed a possible alliance.
The ruling party’s move to reach out to the left front after eight leftist parties, including the CPB, floated a coalition styled ‘Left Democratic Alliance’.
Krishak Shramik Janata League President Kader Siddiqui also had a 20-minute talk with Quader at his offices in the ministry.
Prior to that, former BNP leader Nazmul Huda, who now leads the political outfit Trinamool BNP, and eight other parties met with Awami League leaders to join the ruling party-led electoral alliance.
Formation of the coalition, however, is still in initial stage as talks are underway.
“A final shape (of a polls-time coalition) is likely to reveal by this October,” Quader told the media by mid-August.
Citing Quader’s activities, AL Presidium Member Muhammad Faruque Khan said, “To my knowledge, several parties have agreed to side with us (AL) during the next polls and some of them wants to join the (14-party) alliance.”
He, however, appreciated BNP’s ongoing effort to extend its 4-party alliance ahead of the national election.
“This initiative (to extend alliance) makes clear that it’s a pro-election party... It’s the sign of a fair and participatory election (to be held late this year),” said Khan.
In the meantime, Jatiya Party, a major ally of the AL-led 14-party alliance, announced that it would contest in all 300 parliamentary seats if the BNP boycotts the next general polls.
Senior AL leader Mohammad Nasim categorically echoed Khan’s voice. “We (AL) want they (BNP) join the election whether the collation is formed or not,” he said.
Nasim informed that formation of their collation will be finalised before the polls.
Allies of the 14-party alliance, however, have no objection on forming the larger collation ahead of the next general election if the 14-party alliance’s 23-point manifest goes unchanged.
“Any strategy can be taken to win the polls, be it the formation of a greater alliance... But, our ideological alliance on the basis of 23 points must not be changed,” said Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of Ganatanri Party, one of the allies in the AL-led 14-party alliance.