Weeks ahead of the next general election, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has plunged into a severe internal crisis following its decision to join a 10-party electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.
In the past 11 days, at least 18 top and second-tier leaders have either resigned from party posts or withdrawn from election-related activities ahead of the February 12 polls.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. NCP central member Sayeda Nilima Dola announced her resignation yesterday in a Facebook post, saying the party has lost its ability to pursue its vision of building a new, moderate political force focused on post-July state reforms.
“The party has fully shifted to right-wing politics. If this were truly a strategic alliance, so many leaders and activists would not have resigned,” she wrote.
Party insiders told The Daily Star that discontent over the alliance had been building even before its formal announcement, adding that as many as 10 other key leaders may resign at any time.
On December 27, at least 30 central leaders submitted a memorandum to NCP Convener Nahid Islam, opposing any alliance with Jamaat and arguing that such a partnership contradicted the party’s centrist and reform-oriented principles.
Despite the objections, Nahid announced the alliance at a press conference later that day, claiming the decision was supported by 130 party members.
The internal rift surfaced publicly on December 25, when Joint Member Secretary Mir Arshadul Haque resigned in protest.
The crisis deepened on December 27 after Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara confirmed her resignation to the convener and announced she would contest the election as an independent candidate.
On December 28, several senior leaders followed suit, including Joint Convener Tajnuva Jabeen and Feni-3 nomination aspirant Mohammad Abul Kashem.
Azad Khan Bhasani, chief coordinator of the party’s farmers’ wing and grandson of Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, also resigned, calling the alliance a betrayal of the party’s founding values.
Two other key figures — Joint Member Secretaries Mushfiq Us Salehin and Arif Sohel — also stepped down.
In a Facebook post, Arif Sohel, a prominent organiser of the July uprising, said the party had failed to turn the movement into an independent political force capable of challenging entrenched political actors.
Other leaders who resigned include Khaled Saifullah, Khan Muhammad Morsalin, Farhad Alam Bhuiyan, Al Amin Ahmed Tutul, Asif Mostafa Jamal, Mir Habib Al Manjur, and Wahiduzzaman.
The crisis has particularly affected female leadership.
Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmeen said she would not contest the Bhola-1 seat, calling the alliance with Jamaat “morally unacceptable”.
Joint Convener Nusrat Tabassum withdrew from both the election and party activities.
Monira Sharmin pulled out of the Naogaon-5 race, Southern Organiser Monjila Jhuma withdrew from Khagrachhari, and Northern Organiser Dyuti Aranny Chowdhury said she would not campaign, writing that the decision had “shattered the dreams of countless leaders and activists.”
Humayra Noor, who withdrew from Noakhali-5, said she accepted the party’s decision but was stepping back due to the overall situation, adding that her political journey with the NCP would continue.
Meanwhile, amid the turmoil, on December 29, former adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain formally joined the NCP, announcing that he would not contest the election but would serve as the party’s spokesperson and head of its election management committee.
NCP, however, dismissed all the concerns regarding the party’s situation.
NCP Joint Convener Javed Rashin said the resignations were based on personal decisions and would not affect either the party or the alliance.
“This alliance was formed through a democratic process based on the majority view within the party,” he said.
Meanwhile, speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior NCP leader said more resignations were likely. “There are at least 10 more names on the list. The number will go up,” the leader said.