Islami Andolan in single election: Candidates for 268 seats; Support for remaining 32 seats

Islami Andolan Bangladesh has announced that it will participate in the election alone instead of joining an alliance. The party leaders announced this decision at a press conference organized at the party's central office in Purana Paltan in the capital on Friday (January 16) afternoon.

At the press conference, Islami Andolan Senior Joint Secretary General and Spokesperson Gazi Ataur Rahman said that Islami Andolan Bangladesh will not participate in the election with any 11-party alliance. No candidate from the party will withdraw his nomination papers. The party will contest the election alone in 268 seats.

He said, "The policy position around which we joined the alliance and started the movement, now questions have arisen. There are reports of compromises with rivals before the election. This raises the question of whether this is an election or a selection."

He also said that Islami Andolan Bangladesh had fielded candidates for 270 seats ahead of the 13th National Parliament election. Of these, two candidates have been rejected. The remaining candidates will remain in the field. Support will be given to the remaining 32 seats, but who will be supported will be announced later. He said that support will be given only to honest and qualified candidates who are in line with the principles and ideals.

Meanwhile, in an immediate reaction after the announcement of the Islamic Movement, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair said that the Jamaat has not deviated from its ideology and no one has been belittled. He claimed that a process of moving forward together was underway. The distribution of 253 seats has already been completed among the 10 parties in the alliance and the alliance's liaison committee will decide on the Islamic Movement, including the remaining 47 seats.