The Jatiya Party, founded by former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad, failed to win a single seat in the 13th National Parliament election, marking the first time since the restoration of parliamentary democracy that the party will have no representation in parliament.
The party contested 200 seats but did not emerge as a serious contender in most constituencies. Even in Rangpur, long considered its political base, the party suffered significant defeats. Some political analysts say the results signal the effective end of the Jatiya Party as a major force in national politics.
Party Chairman GM Quader finished third in Rangpur-3, securing 43,385 votes. Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Mahbubur Rahman Belal won the seat with 175,827 votes, while BNP candidate Mohammad Ali Sarkar received 84,578 votes.
In Gaibandha-1, Jatiya Party Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary received about 34,000 votes. The seat was won by Jamaat candidate Md. Majedur Rahman with 140,726 votes. BNP candidate Khandaker Ziaul Islam Mohammad Ali received 37,997 votes.
Although the Jatiya Party fielded one of the highest numbers of candidates after BNP, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Jamaat-e-Islami, it failed to convert that presence into electoral success.
Political analysts say the party’s prolonged alliance with the Awami League over the past 17 years eroded its independent identity. Critics argue that by participating in and legitimizing controversial elections under Awami League rule, the party alienated parts of its voter base.
In recent years, the Jatiya Party increasingly became leadership-dependent, with grassroots organization weakening. Many former activists and supporters joined other parties.
The Awami League did not contest this election, and most of its 14-party alliance partners stayed out. The Jatiya Party was the only major former ally to field a large number of candidates. Several senior leaders — including Anisul Islam Mahmud, Mujibul Haque Chunnu, Ruhul Amin Howlader and Kazi Firoz Rashid — formed separate factions before the vote but were unable to contest due to symbol-related complications.
The party’s vote share has steadily declined over the past decade. It won 34 seats in 2014 when the BNP boycotted the polls, 22 seats in 2018 and 11 seats in 2024. Its vote share fell from about 7 percent in 2014 to roughly 3 percent in the last election.
Historical strength and fragmentation After Ershad’s military-backed rule ended in 1990, the Jatiya Party emerged as a significant parliamentary force. It won 35 seats in 1991 and 32 seats in June 1996, playing a key role in supporting the Awami League government that year.
In 2008, as part of a grand alliance led by the Awami League, the party won 28 seats. However, following Ershad’s death in 2019, internal divisions deepened.
Leadership disputes between Rowshan Ershad and GM Quader further weakened the organization. Multiple splinter groups emerged over the years, including factions led by Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, Anwar Hossain Manju and others. Efforts to reunite and reorganize the party ahead of the latest election failed to revive its fortunes.
Despite expectations that the party might retain some support in northern districts such as Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Nilphamari — areas historically sympathetic to Ershad — it was unable to hold ground.
Analysts say the combination of identity erosion, factionalism and shifting voter loyalties contributed to the party’s complete electoral collapse.
