Bangladesh students behind Sheikh Hasina ouster to form party to contest polls todayheadline

Bangladesh student leaders part of interim regime amid pressure to organise elections has decided to launch a political party that may be backed by Islamists at the elections.

Student leader Nahid Islam, who was among those at the forefront of the July uprising, has stepped down as an adviser to the interim government in Bangladesh. The 27-year-old now plans to float a new political party.

?He is one of the key student leaders who led the movement to oust former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August of last year. He is a student leader who took charge of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology

“I have decided to resign from the cabinet to join the new political party, which is to be launched on February 28”, Islam told reporters after submitting his resignation to the Chief Adviser Md Yunus.

The students and others who led the movement to oust Sheikh Hasina are preparing a grand rally on February 28 at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka to launch the party.

The interim regime has been under pressure from BNP who backed the anti Hasina movement to hold early polls. But the students and other advisers to the regime were delaying elections as they want to form a third front through political party. Bangladesh watchers said the student led may not taste success at the polls as the leaders do not have grassroots support across the country. The party may need support of Islamists to reap some success. Reason behind delaying polls could be the fact that the students are not yet in a position to reap electoral benefit.