Twelve constituents of the BNP-led 20-party alliance have split off and formed a new coalition to support the 27-point outline announced by BNP ahead of the 12th national election.
The new alliance emerged through an announcement made at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital on Thursday, before the 12th parliamentary elections.
"I can emphatically say that we are united in heart and mind with the BNP, and our bond will remain unbreakable. We are proceeding in a slightly different direction and strategy to bring all political parties together against this fascist government," he said while announcing the formation of the alliance.
The elements of the alliance are: Jatiya Party (Jafar), Bangladesh Kalyan Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, Bangladesh Jatiya Dal, NDP, Bangladesh LDP (Shahadat Hossain Selim), Bangladesh Muslim League, Jamiat-e-Ulamaye Islam, Islami Oikya Jote, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA), Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal, and Bangladesh Islamic Party.
In April 2012, the BNP expanded its four-party coalition to a 20-party alliance with the aim of building a movement against the Awami League government.
The party has annulled the alliance as part of its strategy to widen and gather speed in a simultaneous movement against the incumbent Awami League government.
Before the December 10 rally in Dhaka, the BNP sat in an informal meeting where it requested its allies not to use the name "20-party alliance" anymore. The party-led alliance participated in the 2018 national election under the banner of Jatiya Oikya Front, which turned dysfunctional after its defeat at the polls.
Meanwhile, another alliance "Ganatantra Mancha" has been formed with seven left-leaning parties, including several members of Jatiya Oikya Front. A liaison committee is also being formed to wage a simultaneous movement against the government.
