Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party (JP) finally struck a bargain over seat sharing last night after a day of high drama that at times had threatened to break up the electoral union between the parties.
In the end, JP contented itself with 50 seats.
Earlier in the day, JP Chairman HM Ershad warned that if his party is not given 60 seats and a pledge of presidency it would quit the grand alliance and contest the December 29 election on its own.
As speculations ran rife that the former military strongman was parting from the alliance, policymakers of the two parties met at AL presidium member Zillur Rahman’s Gulshan residence.
After a long discussion there, they reached understanding that 50 seats will be left for JP. The issue whether Ershad would be given presidency if the alliance is voted to power was however left to be settled after the election, sources close to AL and JP told The Daily Star.
A series of talks in the last few days had failed to untie the knot. The JP leaders’ skipping a meeting with AL yesterday morning fuelled the speculation of a growing rift.
It all ended when the two parties at a joint press briefing at around 7:30pm announced they have reached an agreement over seat sharing.
They also added that names of the candidates would be disclosed once the Election Commission (EC) completes the scrutiny of candidacy applications on December 4.
“We’re now agreed on sharing of seats,” AL spokesman Syed Ashraful Islam said at the briefing at AL President Sheikh Hasina’s political office in Dhanmondi.
JP acting chairman Barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud said, “The differences of opinions have been removed.”
Earlier, after a lengthy meeting of JP presidium at his Gulshan residence, Ershad told reporters that he had a gentleman’s agreement with AL before the stalled January 22 election last year.
“They [AL] gave us their word that Jatiya Party would be given 60 seats and I would be made the country’s president if the grand alliance is voted to power,” he said.
Replying to a query, he said, “We’ll have no alternative to competing on our own if the two-point accord is not honoured.”
Syed Ashraf, on the other hand, said, “There’s no uncertainty in our coalition with Jatiya Party. The unity will remain unchanged on the basis of complete understanding between us.”
However, asked about the JP conditions, he said he does not know of any such conditions. “We have agreed to go to the polls jointly and form government together,” he continued.
Meanwhile, AL yesterday changed seven more of its nominations. In the last three days, it has revised more than 20 nominations.
Sources said more than one AL candidates have filed candidacy applications in many constituencies.
After scrutiny by the EC, the aspiring candidates other than those picked by the party would be asked to withdraw from the race.
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