Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis is considering a separate electoral alliance with other Islamic parties, leaving out Jamaat-e-Islami, if Jamaat insists on contesting the coming local government elections on its own. The move could trigger a fresh realignment among Islamic parties.
The party is a member of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance and is led by Ameer Mamunul Haque. Its secretary general, Jalaluddin Ahmed, said the party wants the alliance to contest the local polls together and would look at an alternative only if Jamaat refuses. He warned that separate contests would split votes, benefit the ruling party and create distance and rivalry among alliance partners.
Jalaluddin proposed central coordination in choosing candidates. In the 10 city corporations, for example, the parties with stronger local support could field candidates in their areas. He said Jamaat leaders have repeatedly said they will contest independently, so partners have been picking candidates on their own. The issue has not yet been formally discussed within the alliance but may come up at a meeting later this month. He named the NCP and other parties outside the alliance, along with Islamic parties outside it, as possible partners.
Jamaat has taken a different view. Hamidur Rahman Azad, the alliance coordinator and a Jamaat assistant secretary general, said local government elections differ from national polls because they involve no party symbols or national political considerations. He said a central understanding is unnecessary, although local-level talks could take place once the election schedule is announced and candidates' positions become clear. Decisions, he said, would depend on candidates' popularity and winning prospects. He added that separate contests would not harm the alliance, since parties have run independently before while still cooperating.
Mamunul Haque raised similar concerns at a press conference on November 7 at the party's Purana Paltan office in Dhaka. He said separate candidates could weaken the alliance and divide grassroots workers, and that an electoral understanding is essential. As the largest party in the alliance, he said, Jamaat should take the lead and would bear responsibility if no understanding is reached. He also announced the party's mayoral candidates for Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations while leaving room for talks with like-minded parties.
Separately, seven Qawmi-based Islamic parties held a liaison committee meeting on October 22 at a madrasa in Khilgaon, Dhaka. The parties are Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Islami Oikya Jote and Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party. They discussed joint activity under the banner of Like-minded Islamic Parties and a common position on the local polls.
According to sources at the meeting, leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh urged Qawmi-based parties in the Jamaat-led alliance to leave it. At least three such parties, including Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, are part of the 11-party alliance. No decision has been made on whether parties in other alliances must quit them to join the seven-party initiative. The seven parties will meet again on December 5 to discuss the principles and procedures of the proposed alliance.
The Jamaat-led alliance was formed in January ahead of the 13th parliamentary election. A separate party, Khelafat Majlis, withdrew from it in July over seat-sharing and other grievances, and has since said it would keep seeking an understanding with Jamaat for the local polls.
