Seat-Sharing: '14-party allies want 120, AL may offer 15'

The Awami League is willing to offer its 14-party allies 15 seats -- the number of constituencies they currently hold -- against their demand for 120, said one of the alliance leaders.

“We have placed our demands before the Awami League. But its high command has hinted at giving its partners the number of seats held by the allies,” Bangladesh Tarikat Federation Chairman and lawmaker Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizvandary told The Daily Star.

He also said he demanded 15 seats for his party, which currently has two lawmakers.

There are 11 other parties in the combine. Out of the 15 lawmakers, six are from Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB), three from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), two from another JSD faction led by Sharif Nurul Ambia, two each from Bangladesh Tarikat Federation and Jatiya Party (JP-Manju).

Besides, three MPs from the reserved seats for women belong to the WPB, JSD and National Awami party (NAP).

The AL is yet to sit with the partners to formally discuss seat-sharing, said party insiders.  

The allies have repeatedly requested the ruling party to settle the issue. They also raised it before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a dialogue on November 4.

At that meeting, 14-party leaders urged Hasina, president of the AL, to announce the names of MP candidates from her party as well as its allies to avoid any discontent within the alliance.

During a 14-party meeting at the AL headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue yesterday, Hasanul Haq Inu, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), also requested the AL high-ups to finalise the matter soon, said sources.

Leaders from the allies then decided to accept whatever decisions to be taken by Hasina, said several leaders who attended the meeting.

At one point, some of the alliance partners with no MPs demanded seats from the ruling party.

Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua said the party's registration with the Election Commission might be scrapped as per the Representation of the People Order (RPO) as it did not participate in the last two parliamentary polls as per the decision of the alliance. 

At the meeting, Gonotantri Party leader Shahadat Hossain and NAP leader Ismail Hossain said they hoped the AL would not deprive them the way it did in the last two national polls.

Meanwhile, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said his party would settle seat-sharing with its allies within a week.

“If the aspirants from the alliance can assure us that they will win, the Awami League would give them the seats,” he said at a seminar in the capital.

“The Awami League will finalise nominations for the 300 parliamentary seats today or tomorrow. The alliance would get 65-70 seats,” he said, reports BSS.

The AL-led Grand Alliance, which the ruling party terms its electoral alliance, includes Jatiya Party and several other parties. 

According to sources in the 14-party alliance, Workers Party this time wants 15 seats, JSD-Inu 15 seats while Ambia-led JSD wants 20.

JP-Manju seeks 20 seats, while Tarikat Federation 15 seats, NAP 10 seats, Dilip Barua-led Samyabadi Dal six seats, Gonotantri Party 10 seats, Gono Azadi League five seats and Communist Kendro two seats.

Another two partners of AL -- Gonotantrik Majdur Party and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD- Rezaur) -- want the AL to "evaluate them properly" in terms of seats, said sources in the combine.