Mancha-24 demands declaring JaPa ineligible for polls

Mancha-24, a student organisation, has called on the Election Commission (EC) to declare the Jatiya Party (JaPa) ineligible to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections within 48 hours, accusing the party of complicity in what it described as '16 years of authoritarian rule.'

Fahim Farooqui, convener of Mancha-24, made the demand in a press conference held at Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen on Friday, January 1. 

During the press conference, he criticised the party’s submission of nomination papers for 224 constituencies, calling it 'unacceptable in the current political climate.'

In a written statement, Farooqui alleged that the Jatiya Party was not merely an opposition force but a long-standing ally of the Awami League, having served as a key member of the 14-party alliance that supported the government for over 16 years. 'The Jatiya Party shares responsibility for the systemic injustices and crimes committed during that period,' he said. 'There can be no separation between the Awami League and the Jatiya Party when it comes to accountability.

He also criticised the interim government for banning Awami League activities while allowing the Jatiya Party to continue operating. 'Post-July Bangladesh cannot accommodate political forces that enabled tyranny or undermined democratic rights,' Farooqui said, referring to the mass uprising of July 2025 that led to the formation of the caretaker administration.

Farooqui further alleged that both parties legitimised what he called 'sham elections' during the Sheikh Hasina era and argued that any group involved in suppressing voters’ rights should be barred from future elections.

Mancha-24 noted that two legal notices have already been filed against the Jatiya Party and other alleged collaborators, one by a leader of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) and another by the July Oikko, accusing them of involvement in state violence and electoral irregularities.

The organisation warned that if the Election Commission does not take action within 72 hours, it will announce a nationwide mobilisation to protest at the Commission headquarters in coordination with other factions of the July Mass Movement.

'If the Jatiya Party is allowed to participate in the elections,” Farooqui said, “students and citizens will organise the same level of resistance against them as they did against the Awami League.'

FAR/MHK