Earlier on Tuesday, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman held a meeting with JP Chairman HM Ershad at the house of former state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and requested him to join with BNP-led four-party alliance before the next general election.

BNP leader former deputy minister Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu also had a telephone talk with Ershad yesterday. He then met JP leader Kazi Zafar Ahmad and discussed with him as a representative of Tarique Rahman, sources said.

Ershad told the BNP leaders that he will take decision about joining the BNP-led alliance after discussing with his party colleagues, JP sources said.

Meanwhile, a group of JP leaders are suggesting Ershad to keep close relation with Awami League-led 14-party combine as they think BNP will face a debacle in the next election.

A few months ago, following Tarique Rahman's visit to Ershad's house at Baridhara and several meetings between them on joining with the BNP-led alliance, Ershad got acquitted from several graft cases.

After formation of Liberal Democratic Party by former BNP leaders ex-president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury and Oli Ahmed and a few other popular leaders' recent departure from BNP, the party high command now considers bringing Ershad-led JP into their alliance as crucial for winning the next election, party sources said.