The seat agreement can be finalized in the meeting to be held today between Awami League and JPA. In the last two rounds of discussions, both parties struggled to reach consensus on various aspects including election strategy, seat distribution and withdrawal of Awami League party and independent candidates. However neither side has publicly confirmed any talks.
JP’s policy-making leaders expressed their desire to enter parliament with more seats than in the previous election, with their goal being 40 to 50 seats. The party had 22 seats in the 11th National Parliament.
Analysis of the results of the last three parliamentary elections indicates that JP does not enjoy the same level of popularity in the elections. In those elections, there were no Awami League candidates in almost any of the constituencies won by JP.
Moreover, about 86 percent of JPA candidates lost their security deposits in constituencies where they had contested without the agreement with the Awami League. The voting rate for the Jatiya Party also seems to be gradually decreasing in the last three national parliament elections.
*more to follow…