List of political parties in Bangladesh

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article lists political parties in People's Republic of Bangladesh.

Since the restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1991, Bangladesh has a fading two-party system, which means that two political parties dominates the general elections, centrist Awami League (AL) and right-wing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of another party.

However, though the AL and BNP dominated Bangladesh politics for a long time, currently these two are heading coalitions of like-minded parties with the AL leading the left-of-centre parties and the BNP is rallying the right-of-centre parties.[1]

A party is recognised as a registered party only if it fulfils any two of the conditions listed below:[2]

  1. A party needs to secure at least one seat with its electoral symbol in two previous parliamentary elections.
  2. Securing of five percent of total votes cast in the constituencies in which its candidates took part in any of the aforesaid parliamentary elections.
  3. It needs to set up a functional central office, by whatever name it may be called with a central committee, having offices at least in one-third administrative districts, and offices at least in 100 upazilas or metropolitan thanas. And the party must have a minimum 200 voters as its members in each upazila.

Currently in the Parliament[edit]

These are all of the political parties that holds at least a seat in the Bangladeshi Parliament

Symbol or flag Name Founded Ideology Leader MPs Most MPs Political
position
Affiliation Local government
Municipalities Cities Villages
বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগের পতাকা Bangladesh Awami League
বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ
Bangladesh People's League
1949
Sheikh Hasina
271 / 350
306 (2020);
97.7% (1973)
Centre GA
136 / 330
10 / 12
2,187 / 4,562
Jatiya Party-JaPa flag Jatiya Party (Ershad)
জাতীয় পার্টি
National Party (Ershad)
1986 GM Quader
13 / 350
256 (68.4%; 1988) Centre-right
1 / 330
1 / 12
16 / 4,562
Workers Party of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশের ওয়ার্কার্স পার্টি
1980 Communism
Marxism-Leninism
Rashed Khan Menon
1 / 350
6 (1.7%; 2014) Far-left GA
0 / 330
0 / 12
2 / 4,562
জাসদের পতাকা Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal
জাতীয় সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল
National Socialist Party
1972 Socialism Hasanul Haq Inu
1 / 350
8 (2.67%; 1977) Left-wing GA
1 / 330
0 / 12
2 / 4,562
Logo of Kalayan Party Bangladesh Kalyan Party
বাংলাদেশ কল্যাণ পার্টি
Bangladesh Welfare Party
2007 Welfarism
Bangladeshi nationalism
Islamic democracy
Syed Muhammad Ibrahim
1 / 350
1 (0.33%; 2024) Radical centre
0 / 330
0 / 12
0 / 4,562
Independent Disc Independents
স্বতন্ত্র
62 / 350
62 (20.6%; 2024)
0 / 330
1 / 12
1,562 / 4,562

Alliances[edit]

Grand Alliance[edit]

The Grand Alliance (মহাজোট) is a coalition government in Bangladesh that formed in 2008 and consisted of the Bangladesh Awami League, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal- JASAD, Workers Party and three other parties.

The Liberal Democratic Party left the Grand Alliance before the election and contested independently. It joined the 18 Party Alliance in 2012.

Left Democratic Alliance[edit]

The Left Democratic Alliance is an alliance of 8 Leftist Political parties including Communist Party of Bangladesh, Basad, Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, United Communist League Of Bangladesh, Ganatantrik Biplobi Party, Bam Gonotantrik Andolon and Gonoshonghoti Andolon.[3]

Major parties[edit]

Bangladesh Awami League[edit]

The Bangladesh Awami League (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ; English: Bangladesh People's League) is one of the two largest political parties of Bangladesh. It is the country's current governing party, after winning a majority in heavily criticized 2014 parliamentary elections where the majority of seats were uncontested.[4] The All Pakistan Awami Muslim League was founded in Dhaka, the capital of the Pakistani province of East Bengal, in 1949 by Bengali nationalists Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Yar Mohammad Khan, Shamsul Huq, and later Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. In 1953, the party's council meeting voted to drop the word "Muslim" from its name in order to give it a more secular outlook, owing to the need to include the province's large Hindu population in Pakistani politics. Amongst the leaders of the Awami League, five have become the President of Bangladesh, four have become the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and one became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. His daughter and also the incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, has headed the party since 1981.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party[edit]

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, transliterated: Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Dôl), often abbreviated as BNP was founded on 1 September 1978 by Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman, politician and physician A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, human rights activist and lawyer Moudud Ahmed and leftist politician Mashiur Rahman as the key people. BNP has won the second, fifth, sixth and eighth national elections and two presidential elections, in 1978 and 1981 respectively. The party also holds the record of being the largest opposition in the history of parliamentary elections of the country with 116 seats in the seventh national election of 1996.[5] The party does not have any representation in the parliament after its boycott of the national election of 2014 which the party had termed a scandalous farce and was marked by a very low turnout.[6]

Jatiya Party (Ershad)[edit]

The Jatiya Party (Ershad) (Bengali: জাতীয় পার্টি; English: National Party (Ershad)) was established by President Hussain Mohammad Ershad on 1 January 1986. The Army Chief Lieutenant General Hussain Muhammad Ershad had usurped the state power by a coup d'état on 24 March 1982, and ruled the country as chief martial law administrator till December 1983. Political parties and activity had been prohibited during the state of emergency, when Justice A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury was appointed President of Bangladesh.

The Jatiya Party had a rift in leadership and an internal wrangle in 2000. The three factions were headed by General Ershad, Anwar Hossain Manju and Naziur Rahman Manju. In the general elections of 2001, the Ershad group of the Jatiya Party won 14 seats, and the Anwar Hossain group won one seat.

Registered parties[edit]

These are all the parties that are currently registered under Election Commission.[7]

Name Founded Ideology Leader Political position
AL Bangladesh Awami League
বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ
1949 Sheikh Hasina Centre
BNP Bangladesh Nationalist Party
বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল
1978 Populism Khaleda Zia Right wing
JP-E Jatiya Party (Ershad)
জাতীয় পার্টি
1986 GM Quader Centre-right
CPB Communist Party of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশের কমিউনিস্ট পার্টি
1948 Shah Alam Left
SPB Socialist Party of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশের সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল
1980 Comrade Bazlur Rashid Firoz Left
WPB Workers Party of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশের ওয়ার্কার্স পার্টি
1980 Rashed Khan Menon Far-left
JASAD Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal
জাতীয় সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল (জাসদ)
1972 Socialism Hasanul Haque Inu Left-wing
BDB Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh
বিকল্পধারা বাংলাদেশ
2004 A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury Centre
GF Gano Forum
গণফোরাম
1992 Secularism Kamal Hossain Centre
JP-M Jatiya Party (Manju)
জাতীয় পার্টি - জেপি
2014 Anwar Hossain Manju Centre-right
BTF Bangladesh Tarikat Federation
বাংলাদেশ তরিকত ফেডারেশন
2005 Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari Right-wing
LDP Liberal Democratic Party
লিবারেল ডেমোক্রেটিক পার্টি
2006 Economic Liberalisation Oli Ahmed Centre
BSD-ML Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal
বাংলাদেশের সাম্যবাদী দল (এম.এল)
Dilip Barua Left to Far-left
KSJL Krishak Sramik Janata League
কৃষক শ্রমিক জনতা লীগ
1999 Bangabir Kader Siddique Centre left
GP Ganatantri Party
গণতন্ত্রী পার্টি
Secularism Md Arash Ali
NAP National Awami Party
ন্যাশনাল আওয়ামী পার্টি
1967 Socialism Amina Ahmed
JSD Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JSD
জাতীয় সমাজতান্ত্রিক দল-জেএসডি
2002 Socialism A.S.M Abdur Rab Left
ZP Zaker Party
জাকের পার্টি
Khaja Babaism Mustafa Amir Faisal Right wing
BJP Bangladesh Jatiya Party
বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় পার্টি-বিজেপি
2001 Nationalism Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho Centre
BKF Khilafat Andolan
বাংলাদেশ খেলাফত আন্দোলন
1981 Islamic democracy Mawlana Ataullah Right
BML Bangladesh Muslim League
বাংলাদেশ মুসলিম লীগ
1906 Muslim nationalism Jubeda Kader Chaudhuri
NPP National People's Party
ন্যাশনাল পিপলস্‌ পার্টি (এনপিপি)
Sheikh Salauddin Salu
JUI Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam
জমিয়তে উলামায়ে ইসলাম বাংলাদেশ
Islamic democracy Sheikh Zia Uddin
GF Gano Front
গণফ্রন্ট
1995 Secularism Jakir Hossain Left wing
BDNAP Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP
বাংলাদেশ ন্যাশনাল আওয়ামী পার্টি-বাংলাদেশ ন্যাপ
1971 Socialism Jobel Rahman Gani
BJP Bangladesh Jatiya Party
বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় পার্টি
M. A. Mukit
IFB Islamic Front Bangladesh
ইসলামিক ফ্রন্ট বাংলাদেশ
Mujaddedism Bahadur Shah Mujaddedi
BKP Bangladesh Kallyan Party
বাংলাদেশ কল্যাণ পার্টি
Welfarism Sayad Muhammad Ibrahim
IOJ Islami Oikya Jote
ইসলামী ঐক্যজোট
Islamic democracy Abul Hasnat Amini
BKM Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish
বাংলাদেশ খেলাফত মজলিস
1989 Islamic democracy Habibur Rahman
IAB Islami Andolan Bangladesh
ইসলামী আন্দোলন বাংলাদেশ
Mawlana Sayad Md.Rezaul Karim (Chormonai Pir) Islami Shariah
BIF Bangladesh Islami Front
বাংলাদেশ ইসলামী ফ্রন্ট
1990 Sunni Sufism M.A. Matin
BBWP Bangladesher Biplobi Workers Party
বাংলাদেশের বিপ্লবী ওয়ার্কার্স পার্টি
2004 Saiful Haq
KM Khelafat Majlish
খেলাফত মজলিস
1989 Islamic democracy Mawlana Mohammad Ishaq
BML Bangladesh Muslim League-BML
বাংলাদেশ মুসলিম লীগ-বিএমএল
Muslim nationalism A.H.M. Kamruzzaman
BSM Bangladesh Sanskritik Muktijot
বাংলাদেশ সাংস্কৃতিক মুক্তিজোট (মুক্তিজোট)
Secularism Abdur Razzak Mullah
BNF Bangladesh Nationalist Front
বাংলাদেশ ন্যাশনালিস্ট ফ্রন্ট-বিএনএফ
2012 Secularism M.A. Abul Kalam Azad
NDM Jatiotabadi Ganatantric Andolon
জাতীয়তাবাদী গণতান্ত্রিক আন্দোলন-এনডিএম
2017 Bobby Hajjaj
BC Bangladesh Congress
বাংলাদেশ কংগ্রেস
2013 Secularism Kazi Rezaul Hossen
Grassroots BNP Grassroots Bangladesh Nationalist Party
তৃণমূল বিএনপি
2015 Secularism Nazmul Huda
Insaniyat Humanity Revolution Bangladesh
ইনসানিয়াত বিপ্লব, বাংলাদেশ[8] [9]
2010 Humanitarian Allama Imam Hayat
Bangladesh JASAD Bangladesh National Socialist Party- Bangladesh JASAD
বাংলাদেশ জাতীয় সমাজতান্ত্রীক দল- বাংলাদেশ জাসদ
SocialismScientific socialism Sarif Nurul Ambia Left to Far-left

Regional parties[edit]

Name Founded Ideology Leader Political position
PCJSS Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti
পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম জনসংহতি সমিতি
1972 Autonomy of the indigenous tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Shantu Larma Syncretism
(socially far-right, economically left-wing)
UPDF United People's Democratic Front
ইউনাইটেড পিপলস ডেমোক্রেটিক ফ্রন্ট
1998 Autonomy of the indigenous tribes of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Prasit Bikash Khisa Syncretism
(socially far-right, economically left-wing)

Unregistered parties[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Jatiya Party to contest the national polls with grand alliance | News Flash".
  2. ^ কমিশনে রাজনৈতিক দলসমূহের নিবন্ধন আইন, ২০২০ [Commission Political Party Registration Act 2020] (PDF). Election Commission of Bangladesh (in Bengali). 30 June 2020. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Leftist parties form new Left Democratic Alliance as general election nears". bdnews24.com. 19 July 2018.
  4. ^ Barry, Ellen (6 January 2014). "Bangladesh's Governing Party Wins Vote Amid Unrest". The New York Times.
  5. ^ "Bangladesh Election Results". Bangladesh Election Commission. 10 April 2008.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh's ruling Awami League wins boycotted poll". BBC News. 6 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Bangladesh Election Commission".
  8. ^ "Insaniyat Biplab Bangladesh now EC-registered party". The Daily Star. 9 May 2023.
  9. ^ "New political party Humanity Revolution, Bangladesh registered by EC". Dhaka Tribune. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  10. ^ "নতুন দল বাংলাদেশের সাম্যবাদী আন্দোলনের আত্মপ্রকাশ (English: Public Appearance of New Party Communist Movement of Bangladesh)". Bangla News 24. 3 April 2021.