The youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP) is facing mounting internal turmoil following its electoral understanding with Jamaat-e-Islami, with more than half a dozen frontline leaders resigning or withdrawing from party activities in protest.
Most recently, on Thursday, two senior leaders—Joint Chief Coordinator Khan Muhammad Mursalin and Joint Member Secretary and Media Cell chief Mushfiq us Salehin—resigned from all party posts. Their departures come amid growing speculation that the party could be heading toward a major split.
Several party leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, said more resignations are likely in the coming days. The uncertainty has fueled discussions both inside and outside the party about whether NCP is on the verge of a major organizational rupture.
Meanwhile, a separate platform named Trinamool NCP has already been formed under the leadership of former NCP leader Muntasir Mahmud, who resigned earlier. Leaders under that banner have held several programs, though the NCP high command has so far dismissed Muntasir’s activities as insignificant.
The internal crisis began after NCP reached an electoral understanding with the Jamaat-led 10-party alliance ahead of the upcoming national election. Several senior leaders said they could not accept the decision on ideological grounds. Some resigned outright, some voluntarily withdrew from the election, while others stayed in the party but publicly criticized the move.
NCP Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar acknowledged the situation, telling Dhaka Tribune that the party is concerned and that steps would be taken from the highest level to determine the next course of action.
Origins of the unrest
On Sunday, NCP Convener Nahid Islam announced the seat-sharing arrangement with the Jamaat-led 10-party alliance at a press conference held at the party’s temporary central office in Bangla Motor, Dhaka, in connection with the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
News of the decision had already begun circulating on December 27, prompting immediate dissent within the party. That same day, Senior Joint Member Secretary Dr Tasnim Jara announced her resignation. She had been declared the NCP candidate for the Dhaka-9 constituency and said she would instead contest the election as an independent.
From that point onward, leaders and activists at various levels took to Facebook to voice opinions both for and against the alliance.
The following day, on Sunday, Dhaka-17 candidate and NCP Joint Convener Dr Tajnuva Jabeen also resigned. Subsequently, several other leaders objected to the Jamaat alliance, with many withdrawing from party nominations.
Even leaders who did not resign openly criticized the decision, including Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin and Joint Member Secretary Monira Sharmin. Another Joint Convener, Nusrat Tabassum, withdrew her party candidacy from the Kushtia-3 constituency and announced she would remain inactive during the election period.
Three senior leaders resign in two days
Citing deviation from the “spirit of July” and describing the Jamaat alliance as ideologically incompatible, three frontline leaders resigned from all party posts within a span of two days.
On Wednesday night, NCP Joint Convener Dr Khaled Saifullah—also the husband of Dr Tasnim Jara—announced his resignation.
A day later, on Thursday, Joint Chief Coordinator Khan Muhammad Mursalin resigned in the afternoon, followed in the evening by Joint Member Secretary and Media Cell chief Mushfiq us Salehin. Both submitted their resignation letters to NCP Convener Nahid Islam.
Later that same night, party member Al Amin Ahmed Tutul also submitted a letter seeking release from the party.
Statements and Facebook posts
In his resignation letter dated December 31, 2025, Dr Khaled Saifullah wrote: “I am resigning from all posts of the National Citizen Party.” Copies of the letter were sent to the party’s member secretary, office cell, and all central members.
In his resignation letter on January 1, 2026, Khan Muhammad Mursalin said he had served as NCP’s central Joint Chief Coordinator and had also worked in the Media Cell, Publicity and Publication Cell. He noted that he recently served as secretary of the party’s election-time media subcommittee.
“From today, I have decided to resign from all responsibilities and posts of NCP,” he wrote, adding that while he was leaving the party, he was not leaving politics. “We will meet on the streets,” he said, later elaborating on his decision in a video message.
On the same day, Mushfiq us Salehin stated that as a founding member of NCP, he had tried to carry out his responsibilities with integrity while remaining committed to the party’s stated goals, ideals, the spirit of the July mass uprising, and democratic ethics.
He, however, said he could not agree in principle with the decision to join the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 10-party alliance ahead of the national election.
“In my view, NCP’s joining that alliance is not consistent with the aspirations of the July mass uprising, democratic values, and the political goal of building an inclusive citizen state,” he wrote.
Earlier, on December 27, Tasnim Jara announced her resignation in an emotional post on her verified Facebook page, saying she wanted to face voters in Dhaka-9 as an independent candidate rather than representing any party or alliance.
Addressing residents of Khilgaon, Sabujbagh, and Mugda, she wrote: “I am your daughter. I was born and raised in Khilgaon. My dream was to serve the people of this area from a party platform. But due to practical realities, I have decided not to contest the election as a candidate of any specific party or alliance.”
On Sunday, after resigning as Joint Convener, Tajnuva Jabeen thanked supporters for their backing and said she had never been involved in politics before July, when she joined street protests seeking change.
“I will continue that effort until I die,” she wrote. “My voice and my work for democratic change in this country will continue more strongly.”
She also said the space for a centrist, Bangladesh-oriented new political settlement remains vacant and that she intends to work to fill it.
Senior Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin wrote on December 27 that Jamaat-e-Islami is not a reliable ally and warned that any cooperation or understanding with the party, given its political position and ideology, would exact a heavy cost for NCP.
Another Joint Convener, Nusrat Tabassum, wrote on Sunday that by joining the Jamaat-led 10-party alliance under various conditions, NCP’s top leadership and policymakers had deviated from the party’s core narrative.
What lies ahead
Party sources said many more leaders are preparing to leave NCP over ideological differences, though several are refraining from speaking publicly for now. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach.
A senior joint member secretary, wishing to be anonymos, said the possibility of NCP splitting into two factions before the election cannot be ruled out, though it is too early to draw a definitive conclusion.
Asked about the issue at a recent event, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said decisions on whether to remain in the party or contest the election are personal choices. He declined to comment further.
