Leaders of the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) began informal election campaigns in their constituencies across the country during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
While the roadmap for the next national election is yet to be announced and the NCP has not formally confirmed its participation, party leaders are already hitting the streets to capture public attention.
Sources say at least 50 NCP leaders have started informal campaigning in their areas based on instructions from the party’s top brass.
The newly formed party, still awaiting registration from the Election Commission, is gearing up to contest in all 300 constituencies across the country.
Senior party leaders said various Eid-focused programs were organized nationwide during the recent Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. According to their internal assessment, NCP candidates have strong prospects in several constituencies.
They believe the party’s chances will improve further once registration is secured and a formal organizational structure is established at both division and district levels.
Simultaneously, the NCP is working to meet the Election Commission’s registration requirements while preparing for constituency-level campaigns.
While talking with Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday, NCP Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin explained that the activities of party leaders during the Ramadan and Eid vacation were organizational.
"As a new party, our primary goal is to introduce ourselves among the people and we are practicing this program through various activities, like Iftar Mahfil, Eid celebration with the July martyr families. These familiarization programs could also be an informal election campaign, but we are counting this as party-strengthening programs.”
When asked about the constituency allocation, Samanta said: “When the election schedule is declared, our party will decide the candidacy for particular constituencies. Until then, any one of our party can work on their own convenient areas to strengthen our party.”
Speaking to the media recently, Sarjis Alam, NCP's chief organizer for the Northern Region, shared his ambition to enter Parliament through direct public votes and discussed the party’s ongoing election preparations.
“NCP is ready to take on the challenge of nominating candidates for all 300 seats in the national election. We are accustomed to taking on such challenges. NCP was formed just a month ago. We will make every effort to nominate honest, qualified, and patriotic candidates from our position,” said Sarjis Alam.
Eyes on Dhaka
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is home to a diverse population drawn from across the country.
Election trends in the city show that only a few constituencies have strongholds for specific candidates or parties. In most cases, members of Parliament (MPs) elected from Dhaka in recent years are not originally from the areas they represent. Many candidates or their families initially came to Dhaka for other reasons and later entered politics, eventually securing party nominations and winning elections.
Top leaders of the NCP now see this as a strategic opening because they are relatively well-known in Dhaka.
They hope to capitalize on the city’s less competitive landscape, unlike in district-level constituencies, where they are likely to face strong contenders, including veteran leaders from the BNP and other established parties.
According to multiple party sources, NCP Convener Nahid Islam, former information and broadcasting adviser of the interim government, is likely to contest from Dhaka-11 (Rampura-Banasree area).
Although he has yet to engage in visible campaigning due to his senior role in the party, he is reportedly in regular contact with local leaders and activists, providing them with instructions and guidance.
On the day Nahid Islam resigned from the party's advisory council, a group of youths held a rally in the Rampura-Banasree area, carrying banners that welcomed him as their preferred MP candidate.
In the last election, Awami League’s Wakil Ahmed was elected from this constituency. However, he has gone into hiding following multiple cases filed against him after the events of August 5.
In the 2008 election, former BNP commissioner MA Kayum contested from the Gulshan-Badda constituency, but this time, he may contest from the Rampura-Banasree seat.
Meanwhile, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari is likely to contest from either Chandpur-5 (Hajiganj-Shahrasti) or a Dhaka-based seat. Sources suggest a constituency in the Mirpur area would be favorable for him, as the last elected MPs from Mirpur are either in jail or in exile.
Dr Tasnim Zara, NCP’s Senior Joint Member Secretary, is preparing to run in Dhaka-17 (Gulshan-Cantonment). In the previous election, Awami League leader and former state minister MA Arafat won the seat, but he is now in exile.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) leader Andaleeve Rahman Partho, who contested Dhaka-17 as part of the BNP alliance in 2018, lost to Awami League’s Akbar Hossain Pathan Faroque.
If another interim government adviser, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, resigns and joins politics, he is expected to run from Dhaka-10 (Dhanmondi-Kalabagan-New Market-Hazaribagh) and is also preparing for Comilla’s Muradnagar (Comilla-3).
Although Asif Mahmud’s father has publicly sought blessings for his son on several social occasions in Comilla’s Muradnagar, Asif may face tough competition from BNP Vice Chairman Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaikobad, a five-time MP from Comilla-3.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka-10 MPs from the Awami League—actor Ferdous Ahmed and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh—are currently in exile following the fall of Sheikh Hasina on August 5.
In Lakshmipur-1, Mahbub Alam Mahir, joint convener of the NCP and brother of party Adviser Mahfuj Alam, is expected to be the party’s candidate.
There are also indications that Mahfuj Alam, who currently serves as information and broadcasting adviser to the interim government, may contest from either Lakshmipur-1 or Dhaka-18.
Dhaka-18, which includes the Uttara area, was previously represented by the late senior Awami League leader Advocate Sahara Khatun. After her death, Habib Hasan and Khasru Chowdhury were elected from the constituency in subsequent elections.
Although earlier reports indicated that NCP Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin would contest from Bhola-1, party sources now suggest she may run from Dhaka-9 instead.
Dhaka-9, covering the Khilgaon-Sabujbagh area of the capital, was previously represented multiple times by senior Awami League leader Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, NCP Joint Member Secretary Akram Hossain is preparing to contest from Dhaka-13 (Mohammadpur). In past elections, Awami League leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Sadek Khan were elected from this constituency, though both are currently in exile.
According to party insiders, Senior Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adib is gearing up for Dhaka-14, Joint Chief Organizer SM Shahriar for Dhaka-5 (Demra), Joint Convener Zabeed Rasin for Dhaka-9, and Organizer Md Russell Ahmed for Dhaka-1.
Who is planning for which constituency?
NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain is planning to contest from Rangpur-4.
Following the controversial motor rally led by NCP leader Sarjis Alam, Akhtar made a notable entry into his constituency with a procession with vehicles, which received positive reactions from netizens.
During the Eid vacation, he actively engaged with local leaders in Rangpur, including representatives from the Rangpur Chamber of Commerce.
Meanwhile, NCP’s Northern Region Chief Organizer Sarjis Alam is eyeing the Panchagarh-1 seat, while Southern Region Chief Organizer Hasnat Abdullah is preparing to contest from Comilla-4 (Debidwar).
NCP Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud is preparing for Noakhali-6, focusing on development issues like launching ferry services to Hatiya Island, distributing land to the landless, and holding public hearings on river erosion. Recently, he was attacked in his constituency, allegedly by some BNP activists.
NCP Joint Chief Organizer Ali Naser Khan is preparing to contest from Gazipur-1.
Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar has been actively participating in various events in Narsingdi as part of his informal election campaign.
Other potential candidates include Joint Convener Ashraf Uddin Mahadi from Brahmanbaria-2, the grandson of former MP Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini; Joint Convener Anik Roy from Sunamganj-2; Joint Member Secretary Pritam Das from Moulvibazar; Joint Convener Mujahidul Islam Shahin from Patuakhali-2 (Baufal); Joint Coordinator Arifur Rahman Tuhin from Jhalakathi-1; Joint Convener Dr. Atik Mujahid from Kurigram-1; and Chief Organizer Olik Mree, a former indigenous student leader, from Tangail-1 (Madhupur).
Joint Chief Coordinators Bhimpalli David Raju is likely to run from Khulna-1, while Kailash Chandra Rabidas will contest from Naogaon, both leveraging the Dalit community's majority votes in these constituencies.
In Chittagong-16 (Banshkhali), NCP Joint Member Secretary Mir Arshadul Haque is being considered as a potential candidate.
Other party figures preparing to run include Joint Member Secretary Molla Mohammad Faruk Ehsan from Chuadanga-1; Joint Chief Organizer Saifullah Haider from Tangail-3; retired Major Abdullah Mahmud Khan from Gazipur-3; Chief Organizer Abu Sayeed Leon from Nilphamari-3; Joint Chief Organizer Dr. Mahmuda Mitu from Barisal-5; Organizer Abdullah Al Mamun Faisal from Bhola-4; and Joint Member Secretary Joynal Abedin Shishir from Cumilla-10.
In Sylhet, Arpita Shyama Deb and Ehtesham Haque are also preparing to contest, while Joint Convener Nusrat Tabassum is expected to run from Kushtia-1 (Daulatpur).
Executive Member Fahim Rahman Khan Pathan is preparing to contest from Netrokona-2.
