With just a day remaining before the launch of the new political party by the July uprising activists, former Islami Chhatra Shibir leaders in the Jatiya Nagorik Committee have withdrawn from the initiative to form the party amid discord over leadership positions.

Ali Ahsan Zonaed, former president of Shibir's Dhaka University unit and currently a joint convener of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, announced his decision not to join the party on Facebook.

Rafe Salman Rifat, another former Shibir president of the DU unit and currently a joint member secretary of the Nagorik Committee, made a similar announcement on his social media handle.

"I will not be part of the new youth-led political party to be launched on February 28. I had already informed party leaders about my decision a week ago," Zonaed wrote.

He said he chose to remain silent for the sake of broader unity and to keep the nation's focus on the new party. "Since speculations continued, I want to make my stance clear," he added.

Zonaed did not cite any specific reason behind the decision. However, in a previous Facebook post, he criticised the way the leadership of the new party was formed, saying it was "neither democratic nor inclusive".

Sharing Zonaed's post, Rafe wrote, "I will also not be part of the political party... However, my political journey will not stop here."

He further said, "The mass uprising created new political possibilities, and while I don't expect immediate success, I recognise that politics is a long race. We must remain in the long race by being patient."

Both Zonaed and Rafe made the announcement during their Beijing visit at the invitation of the Communist Party of China amid confusion over their inclusion in the 22-member delegation of Bangladeshi political parties.

The Nagorik Committee in a statement claimed that it was unaware of the visit and had received no formal invitation.

It said if any individual joins the delegation or claims to represent the Nagorik Committee without approval, their actions are personal and not linked to the Nagorik Committee.

Meanwhile, two other former Shibir leaders in the Nagorik Committee also said they would not join the new political party. They are Arefin Mohammad Hizbullah, former co-spokesperson of the Nagorik Committee, and Nayeem Ahmad, an organiser of its central committee.

Arefin, who resigned from his Nagorik Committee post, alleged that former Shibir leaders are being excluded from the top positions of the new party solely due to their past association with Shibir, the Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing. 

Two leaders of the office cell of the Nagorik Committee confirmed that Arefin submitted his resignation to the convener.

However, it has not been yet accepted, they said.

The citizens' platform, launched after the 2024 uprising, recently split into three groups over the member secretary post of their upcoming party.

The group comprising former Shibir activists demanded Zonaed be given the second-in-command position of the party. 

Leaders of Students Against Discrimination who had been previously involved with Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti and Chhatra Odhikar Parishad wanted Nagorik Committee's Member Secretary Akhter Hossen to hold the party's member secretary post as well.

Adviser Mahfuj Alam, who plays a key role in the policymaking of the Nagorik Committee, wanted Nagorik Committee Convener Nasiruddin Patwary to be the new party's member secretary, sources said.

Akhter initially faced opposition from the faction belonging to former Chhatra Shakti leaders as he had a "personal rivalry" with Mahfuj since the inception of Chhatra Shakti, the sources added.

To smooth over the discord, the leaders of the Nagorik Committee and Studens Against Discrimination then discussed increasing the number of top posts and creating new positions like senior joint convener, senior joint member secretary.

Zonaed was initially offered the role of senior joint convener, while Rafe was also expected to hold an important position within the party.

The dispute "somewhat waned", but was not completely settled, prompting the leaders of the two platforms to defer the party's launching event by two days, said two leaders of the Nagorik Committee.

However, as Akhter is all but confirmed as the member secretary of the new party, supporters of Nasiruddin Patwary see him in a top position within the party as well.

Two leaders of the Nagorik Committee told this newspaper yesterday that they are contemplating creating a chief coordinator post for Nasiruddin in the new party. However, this is not yet finalised, the leaders said.

Additionally, Sarjis Alam, chief organiser of the Nagorik Committee, and Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Students Against Discrimination, are set to take on the roles of chief organiser and spokesperson of the new party, respectively.

The new party is all set to be launched at the capital's Manik Mia Avenue at 3:00pm tomorrow. The Nagorik Committee yesterday sent a letter to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, informing them of the event.

Sources in the two platforms said they would invite all political parties involved in the 2024 uprising, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.

However, no one from the government will be present. Nahid Islam, a key coordinator of the student movement, resigned from his government adviser post on Tuesday as he is expected to hold the new party's convener position.

Initially, the committee may consist of 150 members, which could later be expanded to 300.

The name of the party has been kept secret until yesterday. however, the leaders said the name might include the word "Nagorik" (citizen).

There are also proposals to include the words "Janata" (People) or "Biplobi" (Revolutionary).

It may take up to two years to hold the party's first council and the convening committee will lead the party into the next parliamentary elections expected to be held in December.