If the BNP does not come to the polls after persisting in the one-stage movement to bring down the government, then the fate of the Awami League's partner parties will open. Political observers believe that the Awami League will give concessions in several seats to the 14-party alliance under its leadership for the sake of participatory elections. Various government agencies are also looking into possible candidates of the 14 parties. Their popularity and chances of winning are also scrutinized.
Based on the consensus of ideological politics with loyalty, the parties of the 14-party coalition have been closely tied as allies of the Awami League for 19 consecutive years. Despite differences and infighting among the partners during this long period, the alliance remained active. Even if there was a split in any of the polled parties at different times, its effect was not observed in the unity of the coalition. Rather, the leaders of the alliance have claimed that the unity of the alliance is the most in the current situation after overcoming the mutual tension between the partners that existed in the past. Several leaders have admitted to Barta24.com that the smaller and inactive parties of the 14-party alliance have also moved ahead of the upcoming elections.
Apart from Awami League, the 14-party coalition mainly consists of Workers Party led by Rashed Khan Menon, JSD of Hasanul Haque Inu, Samyabadi Party of Dilip Barua, Democratic Party led by Barrister Arsh Ali and Bhupendra Bhowmik Dolan. But if the BNP does not come to the polls this time, the alliance partners will be thrown out. So all the teams of 14 paries have entered the field. Meanwhile, many heavyweight candidates in Awami League are under tension due to the alliance candidates.
Observers said that the 14-party alliance is not just doing vote politics. They are doing ideological politics. That is why a 14-party alliance was formed under the leadership of Awami League in 2004 on the basis of liberation war, democracy and non-communal ideals. Especially in the spirit of the liberation war, that alliance has survived to this day. Not only that, the bond of alliance has become stronger in the current era. Mutual understanding has increased. All this has been possible because of giving preference to ideological politics over demand. Even if the party split happened, the leaders of the alliance did not let the unity of the alliance suffer.
According to Barta24.com's investigation, the 14-party coalition has passed 19 years through a complex political situation. During this long period, there have been incidents like infighting and breaking up of parties on various issues. There have also been mutual tensions between the partners from time to time. Although there have been many ups and downs in the case of the Workers Party, one of the main partners of the alliance, the main leadership has remained under the 14-party alliance led by the Awami League. The change of leadership in the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal JSD (INU), the Democratic Party, has not had any impact on coalition politics. In particular, on March 9, 2016, a part of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasad led by Sharif Nurul Ambia formed another party called Bangladesh JSD. The JSD faction left the alliance on March 28, 2022 on the complaint of non-registration.
Bhupendra Bhowmik Dolan, general secretary of the 14 party partner Democratic Party, told Barta24.com, "In the current situation, there is close communication and good relations between the partner parties. Moreover, relationships with partners from an idealistic place are always better. There has never been any disruption in communication and understanding with the main party of the alliance, Awami League.
He said, 'On August 21, 2004, after the terrible grenade attack on the Awami League rally in Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital, the process of forming an alliance with the democratic progressive parties in favor of the liberation war began. The journey of the 14-party alliance began that year with the declaration of 23 points, so that we are all ideologically united and fighting politically for a liberal, secular and democratic Bangladesh free from militancy and sectarianism in the spirit of the liberation war.'
First, Awami League, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), National Awami Party (NAP) and 11 other parties formed a coalition. But soon after the formation of the alliance, 11 parties broke up and a few parties including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) left. A few parties including Workers Party and Gano Forum remained. Still the coalition is known as 14 parties.
In 2007 political change Dr. Kamal Hussain-led Gano Forum left the alliance. The Jatiya Party (JP) led by Anwar Hussain Manju and the Tariqat Federation led by Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari joined an alliance ahead of the national elections the following year.
Besides, the Democratic Party, Samyabadi Dal, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD-Rezaur), Democratic Labor Party, Communist Center, Ganaazadi League and NAP (Mozaffar) are already partners of 14 parties. And Awami League senior leader Amir Hossain Amu is the spokesman and coordinator of the alliance.
On the eve of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad(JS) elections, the parties of the 14-party alliance expressed their interest in participating in the boat symbol of Awami League. Participating parties have expressed such attitude after learning from the bitter experience of elections on party symbols in the past. It is to be noted that if 7 MPs of BNP resigned, JSD demanded Bogra-4 and Workers Party Thakurgaon-3 by-elections for those vacant seats, and Awami League accepted their demands. JSD candidate won in Bogra. But Workers Party candidate Yasin Ali lost by a huge margin in Thakurgaon. He could not benefit from being a candidate on the sickle symbol of the Workers' Party. That's why the participants are interested in choosing the boat symbol.