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Published : 22 Jan 2026, 02:50 PM
The National Citizen Party (NCP) has launched its campaign for the parliamentary elections by visiting the shrines of national leaders Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy near Dhaka University.
Party leaders paid homage at the shrines at around 11:30am on Thursday, formally marking the start of the party’s electoral journey.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, NCP Convenor Nahid Islam said the campaign was being launched on behalf of the party and its 10-party electoral alliance.
“On behalf of the National Citizen Party and the 10-party alliance, we welcome the people of Bangladesh to the electoral journey that begins today, Jan 22,” he said.
Calling the day historic, Nahid said the country has been moving towards a new election and referendum after years of what he described as the deprivation of people’s voting rights.
“After the mass uprising and the denial of voting rights over the past 16 years, we are now heading towards a new election and referendum. Its formal process begins today,” he said.
Nahid underscored the symbolic importance of Dhaka University, saying the campus has been central to the country’s major political struggles.
“The fire of the 2024 mass uprising sparked here at Dhaka University. The Language Movement of 1952, the Liberation War of 1971 and the Pakistan Movement of 1937 all started in this area,” he said.
He added that the university area has remained closely linked with the political struggles of the Bengali people, which is why the party chose to begin its campaign from Dhaka’s eight constituencies.
Explaining the decision to visit the shrines, Nahid said the party wanted to honour the legacy of Sher-e-Bangla and Suhrawardy.
“Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq was the architect of Bangladesh. He fought against the landlord system and worked to protect the rights of farmers and workers,” he said.
“Similarly, we are moving toward a new consensus by resisting fascism.”
Referring to Suhrawardy, Nahid said he had laid the foundation of democracy in Bangladesh.
“Even after the 2024 uprising, we are laying the foundation of democracy through this election,” he said.
Outlining the party’s agenda for the day, Nahid said the NCP has set two key priorities at the start of its campaign.
“First, we are calling on the people of Bangladesh to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum and continue the journey of reforms,” he said.
“Second, ensuring justice for the killing of Sharif Osman bin Hadi is a central demand of our campaign,” he added, pledging that all legal procedures related to the case would be completed before the election.
“We will ensure a fair trial for this murder on the soil of Bengal,” he said.
After the shrine visits, NCP leaders and activists marched from the graves of the national leaders to the grave of Inqilab Moncho convenor Sharif Osman Hadi.
Following the visit to Hadi’s grave, the party will hold a “March for Justice” programme from Dhaka University to Motijheel.
