Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, who resigned from their positions as advisers to the interim government, are both preparing to contest the upcoming 13th national election. Their electoral constituencies are almost certain. However, they have not yet clarified whether they will join a political party or run as independent candidates. Even before resigning, they had been in talks with various parties.

Mahfuz Alam and Asif Mahmud were appointed to the interim government’s advisory council as frontline student leaders of the July uprising. On Wednesday, they submitted their resignation letters to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. Their resignations tooke effect once the election schedule was announced. Now, discussions are ongoing in political circles about which party Mahfuj and Asif might run from.

Both had close ties with the National Citizen Party (NCP), a political party formed by leaders from the July uprising. They wielded influence within the party. However, in recent months, Asif’s relationship with top NCP leaders has deteriorated. Mahfuj’s influence within the party has also diminished. Several sources within the party say that, for these reasons, it is unlikely that Mahfuj and Asif will join the NCP.