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She also said that women leaders declined an offer to contest the election as candidates under the possible seat-sharing deal with Jamaat.

Confirming that talks are under way, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon that discussions with the NCP were being held on a one-to-one basis.

“There is a possibility of sharing seats, and the issue will become clear very soon,” he said, adding that clarity would emerge before the December 29 deadline for submitting nomination papers.

Porwar said the final outcome would depend on the nomination submission process, possible withdrawals, and continued discussions.

He also noted that before 2026, Jamaat would decide whether to form an alliance, pursue seat-sharing deals, or contest the election through another arrangement.

NCP Member Secretary Akhter declined to give a specific timeline but said a decision would be taken shortly.

He also said that discussions with both Jamaat and BNP were ongoing and that no final decision had yet been made.

According to NCP sources, the party had been preparing to contest the election alone for the past two months. That posture shifted after the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancho and an independent candidate for Dhaka-8.

He was shot in broad daylight on December 12 and died six days later at a hospital in Singapore. Since then, security concerns among NCP leaders and activists have intensified, while party leaders have increasingly felt that alignment with a major political force is necessary to consolidate the NCP’s place in national politics.

With BNP yet to make its position on reforms and the July charter referendum clear, some NCP leaders now view Jamaat as a more suitable option.

Sources said that although no official announcement has been made, most members expressed support for sharing seats with Jamaat during the past two days of executive committee meetings.

A member who attended Thursday night’s meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the committee has more than 50 members, 40 of whom were present.

“They discussed election participation and seat-sharing deal with Jamaat. Except for three members, everyone gave a positive signal in favour of a deal,” he said.

He added that the committee asked Nahid and Akhter to determine the conditions and process of any such arrangement.

Explaining the reasoning behind the shift, the leader said BNP has moved far from the commitments it made under the July charter, particularly on state reforms and the referendum.

He claimed the BNP has instructed its candidates not to campaign in favour of the July charter, reforms, or the referendum, and that the party has lagged behind in alliance and seat-sharing talks with the NCP.

BNP sources, however, said that until yesterday evening, the NCP had not contacted the party by phone to arrange any meeting or discussion.