Bangladesh uprising outfits to form new party; BNP raises poll fraud fears

DHAKA: The organisations that spearheaded the July uprising in Bangladesh and unseated Sheikh Hasina's

Awami League

govt of 15 years in Aug are preparing to launch a new political party by Feb 2025.
However, Hasina's political nemesis and ex-PM

Khaleda Zia

's

Bangladesh Nationalist Party

(BNP) called the initiative a strategy by Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM) and Jatiya Nagorik Committee (JNC) to manipulate the national elections. BNP's scepticism stemmed from its belief that the new party's formation could be part of a broader strategy to influence the political landscape ahead of the elections, which interim govt chief adviser Muhammad Yunus recently said is likely to be held between late 2025 and the first half of 2026.
JNC, widely viewed as a pro-Jamaat platform, defended its decision. "We are a political initiative born out of the 2024 mass uprising, formed by forces that defeated Awami fascism and aim to rebuild Bangladesh," said JNC convener Nasiruddin Patwary. It has joined forces with ADSM to chart a vision for what Patwary described as a Bangladesh that would be a "dreamland" in South Asia and globally.
BNP remained vocal in its concerns about the emergence of what it perceives as a "dummy" political party that could undermine the integrity of the national elections. The party had held separate meetings with alliance partners. The meetings reportedly reinforced full support for BNP's demand for free and fair polls.