Political parties with phantom addresses queue for EC nod

In its application for registration with the Election Commission, Janatar Bangladesh Party has said its central office is located on the 12th floor of Darus Salam Arcade near the capital's Paltan intersection.

However, a visit to the 14-storey building on June 25 found no sign of its office there. The 12th floor houses five travel agencies and eight law chambers.

Staff from two of the travel agencies said no political party by that name had any office in the building.

Contacted, Safiqul Islam Sabuj Khan, the chairman of the party, claimed that they no longer use the building.

"We have rented a new office on Box Culvert Road. We will have it ready for use within a few days."

He, however, didn't give the address of the new office.

Janatar Bangladesh Party is among 147 political parties that applied to the EC between March 10 and June 22 to get registered with it ahead of the upcoming national election. The EC on June 24 published a list of the parties.

Many of these parties exist on paper only. In the last week of June, The Daily Star visited the addresses of 13 parties in Paltan area that they mentioned in their applications to the EC. It found that nine had no central offices or even signboards at those locations, while four parties had offices on the same rooftop of a 15-storey building.

To get registered with the EC, a political party must meet at least one of three criteria that include having a functional central office, a central committee, and offices in at least one-third of the districts or 100 upazilas.

A total of 50 parties are now registered with the EC. Since 2008, five parties have been registered with it. Of them, two were registered ahead of the 2024 national polls, and three before the 2014 election. The commission didn't register any party ahead of the 2018 polls.

On March 10 this year, the EC issued a circular inviting applications from political parties for registration. The deadline for submission was April 20, but the EC extended it to June 22 upon requests from several parties.

FAKE ADDRESSES

Bangladesh Janojote Party applied for registration with the EC, citing its address as 85/1, Paltan Line, Culvert Road. But this correspondent didn't find any office of the party there.

Muzammel Miazi, the chairman of the party, said, "We launched the party on March 14 last year. We are forming central, district, and upazila committees. However, we have not been able to fulfil all the Election Commission's requirements."

Bangladesh Nagorik Party mentioned 85/1A in the same building as its address. But there was no sign of the party there either.

Asked, the building's caretaker, Alamgir Hossain, said that no political party had any office there.

Bangladesh Tisari Insaf Party mentioned House No-54 in Purana Paltan as its central office, which couldn't be found at that address.

The staff of a restaurant on the building's ground floor said that there was no party office at the location.

In its application, Bangladesh Shangksarbadi Party mentioned 42/1 Segunbagicha as its address. But no office of the party was found in the eight-storey building.

Asked, Mobarak Hossain, joint secretary general of the party, said, "Our party was founded on July 19 last year. The office is on the third floor of that building in Segunbagicha. We operate till 4:00pm."

However, the third floor housed a studio of an online media outlet. Two individuals working there said that no political party had any office in that building.

In the EC's registration form, Bangladesh Jonomot Party used 27/8/A Topkhana Road as its address. This correspondent found a locked room with a notice hanging on its wall on the building's third floor. The notice said party Convener Sultan Zisan Uddin is available at 4 Purana Paltan (Level-5) and party members could meet him there.

Opposite the room was "Bijoynagar Kazi office" where the marriage registrar, Maulana Md Abdul Hasan, said no political party by that name had any office in the building.

OFFICES OF 4 PARTIES ON ROOFTOP

Offices of four political parties -- National Labour Party, Jonotar Odhikar Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA), and Desh Bachao Manush Bachao Andolon -- were found on the rooftop of 15-storey Pritom Zaman Tower on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan.

National Labour Party rented out one of its two rooftop rooms to Jonotar Odhikar Party. Interestingly, Desh Bachao Manush Bachao Andolon cited the same room as its address in the EC's application form.

Shariful Islam, spokesperson for National Labour Party, said, "We rented out this room to Jonotar Odhikar Party six months ago. Desh Bachao Manush Bachao Andolon also uses the room as its central party office."

KM Rakibul Islam,  chairman of Desh Bachao Manush Bachao Andolon, acknowledged that they share the room with Jonotar Odhikar Party.

"My party's sticker was on the door. It might have fallen off. We'll hang a banner there soon," he said.