The National Citizens Party (NCP) has accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of providing shelter to the Jatiya Party (JaPa), which it described as an ally of the Awami League in previous disputed elections. The allegation was made on Wednesday evening during a press briefing at the NCP’s temporary central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka. Tariqul, chief coordinator of the NCP election management committee and convener of Jatiya Juboshokti, said BNP had sheltered JaPa for the past 16 months and blamed BNP for allowing nearly 250 JaPa candidates to contest in the upcoming election.

Tariqul further claimed that JaPa’s participation in the election was a betrayal of the July uprising and that the party had directly supported the Awami League in three rigged elections, contributing to what he called a rise of fascism in Bangladesh. He added that NCP’s earlier demand to ban JaPa was blocked by BNP’s opposition.

NCP election committee secretary Monira Sharmin questioned the neutrality of the Election Commission and administration, alleging they were acting in favor of a specific party. She warned that if such conditions persist, voters’ rights and safety in the February 12 election could be at risk.