Mahfuj Alam Rejects NCP Ticket Over Jamaat Alliance

Mahfuj Alam, a pre-eminent leader of the July Uprising and a former adviser to the interim government, has formally distanced himself from the National Citizen Party (NCP) following its controversial electoral pact with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. In a definitive statement released on Sunday night, Alam confirmed that he would not be part of the NCP’s upcoming electoral campaign, effectively ending months of speculation regarding his political future. His decision serves as a significant blow to the party, which was largely forged by his comrades from the student-led movement that overthrew the previous regime.

The rift emerged immediately after the announcement of a formal “electoral consensus” between the NCP and Jamaat-e-Islami for the Thirteenth Parliamentary Election. Alam revealed that he had indeed been approached with an offer to contest a prestigious seat in Dhaka under the joint banner of the Jamaat-NCP alliance. However, he maintained that preserving his long-standing ideological integrity and his commitment to the original spirit of the July Uprising were far more critical than securing a seat in the Jatiyo Sangsad. This rejection follows a series of high-profile resignations within the NCP, as several core members have voiced their fierce opposition to aligning with a veteran Islamist organisation.

Reflecting on his role, Alam noted that while he had provided policy guidance and strategic advice to the NCP and the National Citizen Committee over the past eighteen months, the current political reality has made continued association impossible. He argued that the NCP had failed to evolve into the “broad July umbrella” he had envisioned—a platform that was supposed to remain independent and distinct from the country’s traditional political blocs. Instead, the move toward a coalition with Jamaat represents, in his view, a departure from the “new political-economic settlement” that the youth-led revolution originally promised to the nation.

Characterising the current state of Bangladeshi politics as a “cold war” of ideologies, Alam stressed the importance of remaining steadfast in one’s principles rather than choosing a side for short-term electoral gain. Despite his departure from the NCP, he remains optimistic about the future of the “July force,” asserting that the potential for a moderate, alternative youth movement is far from exhausted. He vowed to continue his struggle through political, cultural, and intellectual channels, inviting those who believe in a truly transformative and independent political vision to join him in building what he describes as an imminent rise of a new centrist power.