Back in September, amid disagreements between BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other political parties over the July Charter, nine parties—six from the Ganatantra Mancha along with NCP, AB Party, and Gana Odhikar Parishad—launched discussions to find a middle ground.
At one stage, there was talk of forming a “third electoral alliance” excluding BNP and Jamaat. That idea has now faded, as several Ganatantra Mancha parties are currently in seat-sharing talks with the BNP.
Meanwhile, the NCP, led by young activists from the July uprising, is also maintaining separate contact with the BNP. According to sources from both sides, informal discussions have begun on possible seat-sharing arrangements.
A member of NCP’s political council, requesting anonymity, told Prothom Alo, “We had preliminary discussions with BNP on seat-sharing. The BNP has informally talked about leaving 20 seats for NCP. We believe there could be an understanding in at least four constituencies in Dhaka.”
He added that regardless of seat-sharing, NCP will field candidates in several Dhaka constituencies, including Jatrabari, Badda, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Uttara, and Savar—areas that were key ‘hotspots’ during the July uprising and where NCP believes it has relatively strong support.