The decision came from an emergency meeting of the presidium members of JP held in its party chairman's Banani offce where Shah Moazzem Hossain, GM Quader, and its Secretary General Ruhul Amin Hawlader were not present.

"No body opposed me in the meeting as they know whatever decision I take will be good for the party", Ershad told reporters after the meeting.

"It will be considered as a betrayal if I don't join the BNP-led alliance as I was benefited by them," he added. He however said he will take a few more days to join.

JP sources said Ershad faced strong opposition from his party senior leaders, as they demanded that he finalises what BNP will concede to them in the next election.

"It will be foolish of us to join the BNP-led alliance before finalising a

strategy," Kazi Zafar Ahmad told the reporters after the meeting.

The meeting also decided that JP will participate in the upcoming general election.

"The overall responsibility of maintaining liaison and having discussions with the alliance is vested in the party chairman -- his decision will be considered final," said the presidium decision.

Ershad told the reporters that no member of the presidium opposed him but they suggested him to take time for more negotiation.

Denying the existence of any dissent inside his party Ershad said GM Quader is not active in the party anymore. "I hear he is going to float a party. Let us see what he can do," he said when asked whether any disciplinary action will be taken against Quader, younger brother of the former dictator.

The Jatiya Party chairman expressed hope that he will be able to bargain for a good number of four-party nominations for his party leaders. "I will negotiate our demands."

On Thursday, Ershad suspended a two-day extended meeting of the presidium, which was scheduled to begin on Saturday, apparently to avoid a debate on his decision to join the alliance.

He dismissed the speculations that he is under pressure to join the four-party alliance before the verdict of a case against him is delivered on November 7.