The National Citizen Party is continuing full-fledged preparations to contest the upcoming national election, focusing on organising its grassroots and selecting candidates for all 300 seats.

However, frustration over the ambiguous July charter implementation order remains within the party.

At a meeting on Friday, NCP leaders discussed plans to legally challenge the legitimacy of President Mohammad Shahabuddin's issuance of the charter order.

Contacted by The Daily Star, one leader, seeking anonymity, said that even if the NCP itself does not challenge the legitimacy at the High Court, it will endorse anyone who does.

At the meeting, the party also set their polls preparation priorities.

Speaking to this correspondent, another NCP leader said that apart from organising grassroots units and selecting candidates, a key priority is navigating discussions on a possible alliance and seat negotiation with major parties.

GRASSROOTS ORGANISING

Sadia Farzana Dina, assistant office secretary of the party's central committee, said the party's top priority is its grassroots structure, though the NCP has already formed 401 coordination committees -- 50 district-level, 340 upazila-level, six in metropolitans, and five in municipalities.

The party has also recently formed 10 convenor committees -- nine at the district level and one for the Rajshahi metropolitan area.

"Our coordination committees were formed in a rush to fulfill registration obligations. Now we're bringing in experienced politicians and respected professionals, mostly over 40, to form convenor committees, which will replace the local coordination committees," Sadia said.

When a convenor committee is formed in a district or metropolitan area, the previous coordination committee in that area is disbanded.

Regarding the upazila- and municipal-level committees, she said, "While we have active convenor or coordination committees at the divisional and district levels, the plan is to cover every upazila and union parishad before the election."

CANDIDATE SELECTION

Meanwhile, the party is advancing its candidate selection process.

At a press briefing on Friday, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary announced that the party has already sold over 1,200 nomination applications. "Our target is to sell 3,000 applications by November 20, which will be the deadline to collect the forms."

Patwary, also president of the NCP central election committee, added that the party has formed 10 regional boards to select "capable and honest" candidates through viva voces for each constituency.

Party insiders said these boards are also responsible for conducting background checks on each applicant.

"They're looking to see if the applicant has any previous criminal charges of extortion or terrorism against them, and whether they had any affiliation with Awami League or Jatiya Party," a party insider said, preferring anonymity.

ALLIANCE POSSIBILITIES

Insiders said the party remains split over a possible election alliance. While one faction believes the NCP should contest its "seminal election" alone to build a "unique" identity for future politics, others think forming an alliance beforehand would be a more pragmatic decision.

NCP Joint Convener Monira Sharmin said, "In the run-up to the election, the party is working to consolidate its organisational strength at the grassroots. For now, we are preparing to contest the polls independently."

However, she added that in the broader interest of the party, options such as alliances or seat-sharing remain open, and any such decision will be taken in consultation with party high-ups.