Jatiya Party (JaPa) was once considered the third force in the country’s politics. In many cases, the party also played an important role in the power equation between the two major parties. But due to its long association with Awami League, participation in controversial elections, leadership crises, and repeated splits, that position has now been lost. In the changed political reality following the July mass uprising, the party has become cornered. In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the party failed to win a single seat; even in its strongholds such as Rangpur, its influence has collapsed. As a result, the Jatiya Party now faces a major question—can it become politically relevant again?
Many political analysts, as well as former and current leaders of Jatiya Party, believe that the party’s chances of recovering in electoral and grassroots politics have become slim. According to them, the party no longer has its own activists. Its support base has also drifted toward various other parties. Nor does it have leadership capable of rebuilding the party anew. Consequently, the Jatiya Party is now being viewed as one of the country’s smaller political parties.
From the restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1991 until 2008, Jatiya Party held the position immediately after Awami League and BNP in almost all competitive elections. In the elections of 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2008, the party secured significant representation in parliament. Later, in the controversial elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024, Jatiya Party occupied the position of the main opposition party in parliament as part of seat-sharing arrangements with Awami League—or by Awami League’s grace. But that position has now completely changed. In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, despite fielding candidates in 200 constituencies, the party failed to win any seats; none of its candidates could even emerge as main contenders.
This collapse of Jatiya Party became most evident in Rangpur. Hussein Muhammad Ershad’s personal popularity and the emotional appeal of the party’s “plough” symbol had long given the party a strong base in the Rangpur region. But in the latest national election, the party chairman, GM Quader, came third in the Rangpur-3 constituency. In a region where the Jatiya Party was once the dominant political force, its candidates are no longer even the nearest competitors. The result demonstrated that the party’s traditional vote bank is no longer intact.
