Awami League has still kept Jatiya Party waiting for settling the seat-sharing issue for the upcoming parliamentary elections as the ruling party cannot fully ‘trust’ the opposition party.

AL leaders said they want to make any deal at the last moment so that Jatiya Party cannot make any U-turn about its decision on the election.  

Prime Minister and Awami League President sat with the top leaders of the 14-party alliance on Monday to settle the seat sharing.

However, there is no probability that she will hold talks with Jatiya Party in this regard anytime soon.

Although Jatiya Party has announced that it will contest the polls independently, its leaders think it will be difficult for their candidates to win without Awami League’s support.

The top leaders also think AL has no alternative but to make an agreement with them on seat sharing to make the election a participatory one as they might boycott the polls unless there is any understanding, the sources added.

“No understanding has been made with Awami League. We have specific strategy about the election. We’ll play our role in due time,” Jatiya Party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu told the Daily Sun.

Asked whether there is any possibility of boycotting the election finally, he said they are observing the overall situation. “We’ll contest the election if there’s an atmosphere for voters to exercise their franchise freely.”

Party’s Joint Office Secretary Mahmud Alam said they nominated 291 candidates for the election. But two of them -- one in Chandpur-5 and the other in Munshiganj-2 – could not submit nomination papers.

Party insiders said they want 50 seats from Awami League and they will in no way accept anything less than 30 seats.

“Awami League must meet our demand. Otherwise, if we withdraw from the election race, the government will fall in fresh trouble,” a Presidium member of the party told the Daily Sun, wishing anonymity.

Meanwhile, AL sources said it will reach an understanding with Jatiya Party about seat sharing to keep them in the race to give the election a participatory shape.

The ruling party wants to confirm the share of seats at any convenient time before 17 December, the last date for withdrawal of candidacy, as it cannot fully trust the opposition may.

AL leaders said Jatiya Party may make a volte-face anytime in a bid to push the government into trouble as its Chairman GM Quader was vocal against the government.

GM Quader in several occasions termed the incumbent government “authoritarian and undemocratic” and said fair and neutral election is not possible under it.

Some activities, however, give hints of a probable agreement between the two parties. These include cancellation of AL candidate’s nomination in Chunnu’s seat while not fielding any contestant in Salim Osman’s seat.

Besides, the ruling party has fielded comparatively weak candidates in some constituencies where Jatiya Party’s top leaders are going to contest, the sources added.

On behalf of AL, mediators, who brought Jatiya Party to the election, are maintaining regular contact with it.

Meanwhile, GM Quader and his followers are happy and tension-free as they have now established their supremacy in the party following the decision of party’s chief patron Raushan Ershad not to join the polls.

“We’ll decide our next strategy after the candidacy is finalised. We’re now observing the situation,” Golam Mosih, political secretary to Raushan Ershad, told the Daily Sun.

Insiders said the Raushan faction is likely to form a separate committee after the election.

GM Quader took leadership of Jatiya Party following the death of party founder HM Ershad in 2019.

Awami League bagged 258 seats while Ershad-led Jatiya Party secured 22 seats in the 11th parliamentary elections.

Jatiya Party became the main opposition in parliament after the 2014 general election, which was boycotted by BNP-led 20-party alliance.

It won 34 seats and its senior leader Raushan Ershad was made leader of the opposition. Three Jatiya Party MPs were also inducted into the cabinet.