16. History of Bangladesh-Grand Alliance January 2009-present

Grand Alliance January 2009-present

On 19 November 2008 Awami League & Jatiya Party agreed to contest the elections jointly under the Caretaker Government to be held on 29 December 2008. Out of the 300 Constituencies in the Parliament, Ershad's Jatiya Party will contest from 49 seats and Awami League and members of a leftist wing Fourteen Party Coalition from the rest 250 seats.^[11] Thus the Grand Alliance emerged in Bangladesh; known as Mohajote in Bangla
On December 29, 2008 Bangladesh went to the polls and the nation elected the Grand Alliance which was led by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and backed by Hussain Mohammed Ershad's Jatiya Party. On the other hand Khaleda Zia's BNP-led Four Party Alliance plagued by allegations of Khaleda Zia's ^[12][13] and her infamous son Tareq Rahman's corruption allegations ^[14][15][16], suffered the most embarrassing defeat ever in Bangladesh's history.
Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister and formed the government and a cabinet which included ministers from Jatiya Party although any post for Hussain Mohammed Ershad, is yet to be decided as the earlier agreed Presidency seems elusive.
The mutiny of borderguards (BDR) took place from 25 to 27 February 2009. More than a thousand BDR soldiers took over the BDR headquarters, and held many of their officers hostage. By the second day fighting spread to 12 other towns and cities.^[17][18] The mutiny ended as the mutineers surrendered their arms and released the hostages^[19] after a series of discussions and negotiations with the government.^[20] 52 army died in the incident.