Nahid Islam, a 27-year-old former student leader who rose to prominence during Bangladesh’s 2024 anti-quota protests, is contesting the February 12 national election as head of the National Citizen Party (NCP). The NCP emerged from the youth-led uprising that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government and briefly saw Islam serve as an adviser in Muhammad Yunus’s interim cabinet. The party, positioning itself as a centrist alternative, now faces scrutiny for joining an alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, a group still controversial for its stance during the 1971 war.

The alliance has caused internal divisions within the NCP, with several liberal and female leaders resigning, accusing the party of abandoning its founding ideals. Islam defends the partnership as a pragmatic electoral move, citing shared goals of reform and anti-corruption. Under the deal, NCP will contest 30 of 300 seats, while Jamaat fields 222. Polls suggest a tight race between the BNP and the Jamaat-led bloc, with smaller parties like NCP potentially playing a decisive role.

Analysts note that the election will test whether the NCP’s revolutionary appeal can survive electoral realities and whether its alliance strengthens or undermines its identity.