A new political party—Janata Party Bangladesh—was formally launched on 25 April at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka, with a vision to build a new Bangladesh rooted in equality, human dignity, and social justice.
The party is being led by popular film actor and road safety campaigner Ilias Kanchan as president, with veteran journalist and former BNP vice-chairman Shawkat Mahmud taking on the role of secretary general.
Reading from the party’s founding declaration, Shawkat Mahmud stated that the formation of Janata Party Bangladesh was inspired by the ideals of the Liberation War, the National Revolution of 7 November, the 1990 mass uprising, and most recently, what he termed the “July Revolution” of 2024. The party’s core slogan is “Gorbo Mora Insafer Desh”—"We shall build a land of justice."
“The aspiration of students and the people for sweeping change must form the foundation of tomorrow’s Bangladesh,” he said. “It is our political duty to reconstruct the country based on equality, human dignity and social justice.”
He went on to outline the party’s ideological commitments, which include a nationalist ethos embracing religious freedom, cultural pluralism, and interfaith harmony. The party aims to discourage extremism, promote inclusive political discourse, and move towards a transparent, accountable and democratic political culture. “We do not seek unity for the sake of slogans, but national consensus on all pressing issues,” he added.
This marks Ilias Kanchan’s first foray into direct politics. Reflecting on his decades-long campaign for road safety, he said, “Over the past 32 years, we have seen many governments, but none have succeeded in delivering safe roads. Without genuine political will, road safety cannot be achieved. I now wish to work with integrity through this new political platform for the sake of the country and its people.”
The party’s executive leadership includes Golam Sarwar Milon as executive chairman and spokesperson, Rafiqul Haque Hafiz as vice-chairman, and several senior lawyers and organisers such as ABM Waliur Rahman Khan, Rehena Salam, and Mohammad Abdullah. Other senior members include MA Yusuf, Nirmal Chakraborty, M Asaduzzaman, and ABM Rafiqul Haque Talukdar.
Key advisers include Shah Mohammad Abu Zafar, Major (Retd) Mujib, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Professor Farhat Hossain, Zafar Iqbal Siddiqui, Awal Thakur, Tauhida Faruqi, and Mamunur Rashid. Additional members include retired armed forces officers such as Major (Retd) Imran and Colonel (Retd) Sabbir.
The party also appears to have drawn figures from the ranks of the BNP and Jatiya Party. Notable among them are former Jatiya Party presidium member Golam Sarwar Milon, BNP vice-chairman Khandaker Mahbub's widow Professor Farhat Hossain Mahbub, former BNP MP and BNP-affiliated BNM chairman Shah Abu Zafar, and former Jatiya Party MP Zafar Iqbal Siddiqui.
It is worth noting that Shawkat Mahmud was expelled from the BNP on 22 March 2023 for alleged breaches of party discipline.
The launch event was also attended by academic Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, economist Reza Kibria, and others.
Speeches were given by July uprising victim Wahed and Mithun Hasan, the brother-in-law of slain activist Kobir.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August 2024 due to a student-led uprising, some 22 new political parties have emerged in the six-and-a-half months up to February 2025. There are currently 49 parties registered with the Election Commission.