July Oikya members march towards EC demanding exclusion of JaPa candidates

July Oikya, an alliance of organisations focused on the July Uprising, on Tuesday held a march towards the Election Commission (EC) head office, demanding the electoral ban on candidates from Jatiya Party (JaPa) and its political partners.

July Oikya leaders and activists gathered beside the Agargaon metro station and around 1:00pm started a march towards the EC office.

When the protesters reached the area in front of the Islamic Foundation, law enforcers, who were deployed in large numbers centring the demonstration, obstructed them.

Some protesters attempted to breach the barricades, making the situation somewhat tense. However, no untoward incident was reported.

Later, three representatives of the group went to the Election Commission building to submit a memorandum.

Before submitting the memorandum, Mosaddeque Ali Ibn Mohammad, cultural affairs secretary at DUCSU, said, “Those who allow Awami League’s (AL) long-time ally JaPa, and others from the AL-led 14-party alliance to contest elections, are siding with fascism. If you understand the language of the people, the nominations of the Jatiya Party candidates must be cancelled immediately.”

Leaders of July Oikya claim that the Election Commission’s approval of candidacy of individuals from Jatiya Party and its partners need to be reconsidered on moral and legal grounds.

JaPa and other like-minded parties endorsed Awami League fascism when they participated in rigged elections in 2014 and 2024 even after the major opposition parties had boycotted these, July Oikya activists alleged.

Mosaddeque Ali said July Oikya members recently filed a writ petition, and the High Court has responded by issuing a rule. The DUCSU leader expressed hope that the High Court will soon cancel the nomination papers of JaPa candidates and their allies.

They allege that despite existing legal and moral concerns against the candidates, their nominations have been kept valid by the EC.

However, no immediate comment was available from the Election Commission regarding the matter.