Jatiya Party: A history marked by splits

Jatiya Party, founded by former military ruler Hossain Muhammad Ershad, is once again at a crossroads. As internal disputes escalate into its eighth major disintegration in nearly four decades, the opposition faction led by Anisul Islam Mahmud convened a crucial national conference on Saturday and announced a new committee axing GM Quader.

At the core of this latest rift lies Article 20/1(a) of the party's constitution, which vests the party chief with sweeping powers to appoint individuals to any position 'by the power given to him' and to expel members at will. The discord escalated following a decision by the party presidium on May 20, 2025 to hold the 10th national council on June 28.     

However, GM Quader postponed the conference on June 16 citing venue unavailability. This unilateral move exacerbated internal divisions. Anisul Islam Mahmud and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader publicly criticized the postponement and attempted to hold a conference in front of the party office on the originally scheduled date but GM Quader's supporters called a counter-rally there, prompting the opposition to withdraw to avoid conflict.

In a dramatic assertion of authority on July 7, GM Quader applied Article 20/1(a) to dismiss senior leaders co-Chairmen Anisul Islam Mahmud, ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader and Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu from all party posts and appointed Shamim Haider Patwary as the new Secretary General. The expelled leaders branded this move as illegal and dictatorial. The fallout prompted a flurry of legal and political manoeuvres.

On July 14, the sixth death anniversary of Ershad was marked by a rare display of solidarity when leaders from four distinct factions of the Jatiya Party united on one stage at a memorial meeting in Gulshan.