The National Citizen Party (NCP) of Bangladesh is facing a deepening political identity crisis after joining the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)-led coalition, a move that has drawn sharp scrutiny given Jamaat's documented history of opposing Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War and collaborating with Pakistani forces, according to a report in The Diplomat. The alliance has already cost the NCP at least 60 leaders and activists, who quit by the party's first anniversary in February 2026.

How the Alliance Took Shape

The NCP was born out of the student-led protests that brought down the Awami League government in August 2024. It entered the political arena promising a new kind of politics — distinct from the country's established parties. However, its electoral alliance with JI emerged as the clearest public signal of an internal rift over the party's ideological direction.

Following the election, the partnership did not dissolve. JI chief Shafiqur Rahman became leader of the opposition, while NCP convener Nahid Islam took over as opposition chief whip. The two parties have since maintained close coordination both inside and outside Parliament.

Nahid Islam's Remarks at a Jamaat Platform

The optics sharpened on 19 September, when Nahid addressed a long march organised by the JI-led 11-party opposition alliance — not an NCP rally. At the event, he launched a pointed attack on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, saying the premier would eventually have to decide how he wanted to leave office. 'He must decide whether he will flee the country by helicopter or resign with dignity,' Nahid said, according to reports.

The long march was organised to press a seven-point set of demands, including implementation of the February referendum verdict, measures to address rising prices, the energy and fertiliser crisis, deteriorating law and order, and corruption.

The Identity Problem the NCP Cannot Shake

The report in The Diplomat framed the challenge starkly: 'NCP routinely joins JI in long marches, alliance meetings and parliamentary protests.' It questioned what now distinguishes the NCP from Jamaat in the eyes of ordinary voters.

The NCP has maintained that its relationship with JI is strategic, not ideological. But analysts note that voters do not judge political identity solely through party constitutions or official statements — they observe shared platforms, coordinated parliamentary action, and joint street campaigns.

'This creates challenges for its political identity. NCP says it is a separate party. That is true institutionally. But voters do not judge political identity only through party constitutions or official statements,' the report noted.

Internal Fallout and What It Signals

The departure of at least 60 leaders and activists by February underscores the scale of discontent within the party. Critics inside the NCP reportedly argued that aligning with an organisation carrying the baggage of 1971 contradicts the founding promise of the student uprising that gave the party its legitimacy.

This is not merely an internal party dispute — it reflects the broader difficulty facing post-uprising movements across South Asia when they transition from protest to governance and coalition politics.

What Comes Next

The NCP's ability to carve out a distinct political identity ahead of future electoral cycles will likely depend on whether it can demonstrate policy or ideological differences from JI in practice, not just in official statements. As the Diplomat report concluded, less than two years after the student-led uprising, the party is struggling to show voters what still makes it politically distinct.