ISLAMABAD: Indian strategic community has expressed serious alarm followingthe formal alliance between Bangladesh’s newly-formed National CitizenParty (NCP) and the historically controversial Jamaat-e-Islami ahead of thescheduled February 2026 general elections. Prominent Indian strategicexpert Brahma Chellaney described this development as a major symbolicdeparture from Bangladesh’s founding secular principles, warning that thegrowing convergence of Islamist-leaning political forces could havesignificant long-term implications for regional security and India’seastern frontier.
The political earthquake in Bangladesh began with the student-led uprisingthat forced the resignation of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. During thoseviolent street protests, student activists associated withJamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir played a highlyvisible and energetic role. Many of the same prominent student leaders whospearheaded that movement later founded the National Citizen Party,initially positioning themselves as a moderate, reformist alternative toboth the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
However, the recent formal declaration of alliance between NCP andJamaat-e-Islami has dramatically altered that narrative. Brahma Chellaney,in a widely circulated post on platform X, pointed out that thisdevelopment comes at a time when the Awami League — long regarded as themost staunchly secular and pro-India political force — remains banned fromcontesting elections. With the country’s two major electoral alliances nowboth showing clear ideological proximity to Islamist forces, the politicalcentre of gravity in Bangladesh appears to have shifted decisively.
Adding to Indian concerns, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — whichis expected to be the principal rival to the NCP-Jamaat combine — hasitself entered into an understanding with another Islamist party, JamiatUlema-e-Islam. This near-simultaneous realignment of both major oppositionblocs towards religiously conservative politics has led several Indiancommentators to describe the upcoming election as a contest between twoalliances that both possess strong anti-India undercurrents.
Stanley Johny, international affairs editor of The Hindu newspaper,highlighted the historical baggage attached to this partnership. Hereminded readers that Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing had activelyopposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 and were accused of collaboratingwith the Pakistani military during the war of liberation, includinginvolvement in atrocities. The decision by NCP leaders to embrace this veryorganisation has therefore generated intense debate about the futureideological direction of Bangladeshi politics.
Internal dissent within the National Citizen Party itself furthercomplicates the picture. Several prominent female leaders and at least twokey founding members resigned in protest immediately after the allianceannouncement, arguing that alignment with Jamaat-e-Islami compromises theprogressive and inclusive image the party had initially projected. Theseresignations have been widely covered in both Bangladeshi and Indian media,suggesting that the decision may not enjoy unanimous support even among theparty’s original base.
Bangladeshi political analyst Dr Mubasher Hasan, speaking to BBC Bangla,offered a more pragmatic assessment. He argued that the alliance is largelydriven by powerful anti-India public sentiment that has grown significantlysince the fall of the Hasina government. According to Dr Hasan, both NCPand Jamaat-e-Islami leadership perceive strong electoral advantage inchanneling and amplifying this sentiment during the campaign period.
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The timing of the alliance is particularly significant as Bangladeshapproaches what is expected to be its most consequential election since therestoration of democracy in 1991. With the Awami League sidelined and thefield effectively reduced to two major blocs, the February 2026 vote iswidely viewed in New Delhi as a potential turning point that couldfundamentally reshape the strategic environment in South Asia’s easterntheatre.
Indian security analysts remain particularly worried about the possibleemergence of a Dhaka government that may adopt a markedly less cooperativeposture towards New Delhi on issues ranging from border management andriver-water sharing to counter-terrorism cooperation and transitfacilities. The convergence of political forces historically viewed withsuspicion in India has therefore triggered intense strategic debate in NewDelhi’s policy circles.
Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bangladesh-ncp-jamaat-alliance-raises-concern-in-india/article68974521.ece
Tags: Bangladesh, India, Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party, BrahmaChellaney
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