National Citizen Party (NCP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami have decided to field separate candidates for the upcoming local government elections, moving away from their previous national election alliance.
The announcement was made by Sarjis Alam, NCP’s chief organizer for the northern region, during a press conference at the party's temporary office in Bangla Motor on Tuesday night.
"Jamaat has already begun solo preparations for the local polls. Similarly, the NCP is preparing to contest independently," Alam said. However, he noted that a final decision on the 11-party alliance’s unity would be made closer to the election date if circumstances change.
The NCP plans to announce primary candidates for all 12 city corporations, 495 upazilas, and 330 municipalities within the next few weeks.
Party spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan revealed during the briefing that he has been initially tapped by the party to contest as the mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
Asif expressed concern over the "hasty" appointment of administrators in six city corporations, arguing that the lack of elected representatives for over 18 months has severely hampered civic services.
"The government has not provided a clear outline for local elections," Asif said. "The appointment notifications for current administrators lack a specific timeframe, which raises questions about transparency."
The NCP spokesperson also condemned recent police actions, alleging that operations in the past two days have led to harassment of the public and journalists.
"While we do not support unnecessary road blockades that hinder the new government’s work, the right to protest for legitimate demands must be protected," Asif added.
Member Secretary of the NCP’s local government election management committee, Hannan Masud MP, also spoke at the event, recounting his experiences with electoral violence and stressing the need for fair polling.
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