As Bangladesh prepares for its 13th parliamentary election, the BNP has started working behind the scenes to build political consensus around holding the polls by December. In addition to talking to allies from recent joint movements, the party is also reaching out to other parties, alliances, and organizations that were previously active in anti-government campaigns. In an interesting shift, a party long aligned with right-wing politics is now warming up to leftist groups as well. Political analysts and scholars see this as a new kind of realignment in the country’s political landscape.

Yesterday (April 20), BNP leaders held a closed-door meeting at a Dhaka hotel with leaders from the Left Democratic Alliance. Representing BNP were standing committee member and head of the liaison committee Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and Vice Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu. On the leftist alliance’s side were senior leaders including former CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim, current president Shah Alam, general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, and from the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BaSaD, Khalequzzaman), general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz and assistant general secretary Razequzzaman Ratan.

Senior BNP leaders say that for the past few years, several standing committee members have been quietly working to form a broader alliance with leftist and progressive parties on the issue of a free and participatory election. This meeting, they say, is part of that long-term effort.

“We all agree that a national election is necessary,” said Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku. “We’re now talking about how to form a greater unity before December. That’s what we discussed with CPB, BaSaD, and other left-leaning groups. They’ve also expressed their views on the election.”

Back on July 13, 2023, BNP had laid out a 31-point reform plan, calling for democratic reforms in the Constitution and state structure, and economic emancipation. A year later, the Awami League government was ousted on August 5, and an interim government took over. That interim government has already formed several commissions to start structural reforms. But the move has sparked debate and disagreement among political parties. Even BNP’s long-time ally Jamaat-e-Islami has grown distant on this issue. That is one reason BNP is now looking to expand its network of partners. Its leaders are actively staying in touch with parties outside the Awami League-led alliance, particularly the leftists.

Political analysts point out that no leftist party currently has a roadmap to power. So, many of their activists eventually join bigger parties like the Awami League or BNP. Interestingly, leftists had a major role in forming the BNP in the first place. The party’s foundation was largely shaped by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani—widely known as the “Red Maulana”—and his followers. After Bhashani’s death, his political disciple and former NAP secretary general Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, along with many others, joined the BNP. They also brought with them the NAP’s party symbol—the sheaf of paddy—which over time became synonymous with the BNP.

Before the mass uprising of the 1990s, the anti-Ershad movement had brought together three major alliances: the 15-party alliance led by the Awami League, the 7-party alliance under the BNP, and the 5-party alliance of leftist parties. Even the student movement at the time, known as the All-Party Student Unity (APSU), included student wings from both left-wing and right-wing ideologies.

In today’s political context, BNP’s recent outreach to leftist parties like CPB is being seen as a new equation in national politics. Historically, leftist parties and their agendas have mostly worked in favor of the Awami League. Though CPB has not formally joined the Awami League-led alliance, several of its former leaders have ended up as ministers and MPs under the Awami League. Some have even made it into the party’s central committee.

Speaking to Bonik Barta, Dhaka University’s Professor of Political Science, Dr. Shantanu Majumder, said, “BNP and the left are like oil and water. From an ideological standpoint, this alignment is quite surprising—though not unnatural. BNP is a major party aiming to return to power. So it’s only expected that they’d try to engage with various political groups. The left may not have big numbers, but they do bring media value and a distinct presence. BNP might be trying to tap into that.”

Even before the 12th parliamentary election, BNP tried to bring the left closer. As part of laying the groundwork for a joint movement, the party held talks with 22 political parties between May 24 and August 3, 2022. Although they showed interest in meeting leftist parties like CPB and BaSaD, BNP did not get a positive response at the time. But after the change in the political landscape on August 5 last year, those same leftist leaders have started responding to BNP’s calls and are now sitting down for talks.

Earlier, in March last, there were reports that the Left Democratic Alliance might merge with the Anti-Fascism Left Alliance and the Bangladesh JaSaD to form a broader coalition. Names like Gano Forum, Oikya NAP, Nagorik Oikya, Gonosonghoti Andolon, and Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh (RWPB) came up in discussions. The plan was to contest all 300 constituencies together. At the same time, efforts were underway to form a new coalition of leftist, democratic, progressive, liberal, and pro-independence parties—with CPB, BaSaD, and JaSaD taking the lead.

When asked about the BNP meeting, CPB General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince told Bonik Barta, “One key point we discussed was the need to change the political culture in this country. We don’t talk to each other, we don’t sit across the table—and that needs to change. As political parties, we shouldn’t behave in a way that gives non-political actors a chance to question us. Each party will say what they believe, and the people will decide who they support. Right now, the key agenda is the election.”

When asked whether there was any discussion about forming an alliance with BNP, he said, “We didn’t meet them to form an alliance. We went there just to talk. Because of our ideological differences, we can’t form a political coalition with them. We only engage in issue-based discussions. We already have a left alliance and that’s what we’re sticking to. Our politics is clear—we’re working toward socialism. Our goal is to bring about a social revolution. So, BNP doesn’t expect us to ally with them, and we don’t see that as a possibility either.”