Alliance debacle ‘major setback’ for Jamaat

The split in the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance of mostly Islamist parties is likely to have a major impact on the electoral equation, analysts say, after Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) announced it would quit the coalition and contest the polls independently.

The alliance was formed ahead of the 13th parliamentary election primarily to counter the BNP-led bloc. Jamaat, a long-time BNP ally, was among its key architects, arguing that a united front of Islamist parties could project a stronger Islamic ideological alternative to BNP’s nationalist narrative.

“IAB’s exit is a major setback,” said political analyst Mohiuddin Ahmad. “The alliance’s core objective was to counter the BNP. In the present situation, I don’t think the Jamaat-led bloc will perform well. The split will divide votes and ultimately give mileage to the BNP.”

IAB Secretary General Yunus Ahmed said the party had been the chief proponent of the “one ballot box” strategy -- bringing all Islamist forces under one umbrella and fielding single candidates in each constituency. Initially, five Islamist parties formed the alliance. Jomiat-e-Ulamae Islam later left to join the BNP, while Jamaat and six others subsequently joined, expanding it into an 11-party coalition.

“But Jamaat did injustice to us,” Yunus said. “They acted like a big brother, taking decisions without even consulting us.”

An adviser to IAB Ameer Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the BNP had offered IAB a place in its alliance, which the party declined “for the sake of our alliance.” He blamed the breakup on “divisions and mistrust,” holding Jamaat responsible.

IAB Joint Secretary General and spokesperson Gazi Ataur Rahman said Jamaat unilaterally included three new parties and began allocating seats without discussion. “They were distributing seats as if they owned all 300 constituencies,” he said, calling the behaviour humiliating and authoritarian. “We tried our best to stay, but there was no environment left for us.”

Asked about the rupture, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General and head of its central publicity department Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair said such developments “can happen in politics.”

Jamaat-e-Islami was banned along with other religion-based parties after independence in 1972, but returned to electoral politics in 1986 after the ban was lifted. Its best performance came in 1991, when it won 18 seats with 12.13 percent of the popular vote, followed by 17 seats in 2001. The party boycotted the 2014 and 2024 elections and contested the 2018 polls under the BNP’s paddy sheaf symbol as part of the BNP-led alliance. Its registration was cancelled in 2013 following a High Court verdict, but restored along with its symbol in June 2025.

IAB traces its roots to Islami Shashontantra Andolan, founded in 1987 by Syed Fazlul Karim, the then Pir of Charmonai. After his death in 2006, leadership passed to his son, Syed Rezaul Karim. The party adopted its current name to meet Election Commission registration requirements ahead of the 2008 polls.

According to EC data, IAB secured 11,159 votes in June 1996 and more than 12 lakh votes in the 2018 election -- the third-highest tally after the Awami League and the BNP-led alliance -- despite allegations of widespread ballot stuffing on the eve of polling. The party also boycotted the 2014 and 2024 elections.