Bangladesh: Cracks have started to appear inside the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition as Bangladesh prepares for the general elections on February 12. Local media reported on Wednesday that tensions over seat-sharing are becoming worse despite a deadline to finalize the deal.

Eight of the eleven alliance partners have struck a seat-sharing arrangement with Jamaat, according to sources cited by Bangladesh’s top Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo, but the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and Islami Andolan Bangladesh are still unsure.

According to a report, some party sources said that the Islami Andolan, which has been negotiating a seat-sharing plan, had originally aimed to run for more than 100 seats.

The party has progressively lowered its seat requirement after talks, with its most recent stance being more than 50 seats.

However, the Islami Andolan is not happy with Jamaat’s offer of 40 seats. While some leaders are prepared to settle for 40 to 45 seats, others feel that if their demands are not satisfied, the agreement should be reexamined.

In the meanwhile, a number of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis leaders said that they had discussions with Jamaat on Monday. However, the dispute over seat sharing continues since Jamaat refuses to comply with their requests.

According to a Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis central committee representative who spoke to Prothom Alo under the condition of anonymity, Jamaat is only proposing a maximum of 20 seats, although their party is vying for 25 to 30 seats.

He went on to say that their party plans to keep candidates available in the areas where a deal cannot be made if they do not win the target seats.

Two of the biggest Islamist organizations in the nation, Jamaat and Islami Andolan, have reportedly been negotiating for more than three months to unite Islamist votes under an alliance of eight mostly Islamist parties, according to local media sources.

The Daily Star, Bangladesh’s main daily, said that after prolonged discussions, the talks broke down shortly before the nomination deadline of December 29, 2025, forcing both parties to file nominations in hundreds of seats and causing discord within the coalition.

On the last day, Jamaat filed nomination papers for 276 seats, while Islami Andolan did the same for 268 seats, according to statistics from the Election Commission.

Elections in Bangladesh are set for February 12 and are taking place as political tensions rise and party divisions deepen.