As the nation heads towards its 13th parliamentary election, BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have unveiled manifestos that reveal limited areas of overlap but sharp contrasts in ideology, scale and implementation strategies.
Both parties place corruption control, economic growth, women’s empowerment, minority rights, education and healthcare at the centre of their pledges. However, analysts say the credibility of these promises will ultimately depend on sequencing, institutional capacity and political will.
BNP’s manifesto prioritises structured economic planning, large-scale job creation, education reform and expansion of healthcare infrastructure. Jamaat, releasing a manifesto for the first time in several years, places stronger emphasis on youth employment, women’s safety, rapid access to healthcare and justice-based governance.
Despite ideological differences, both parties also stress preserving historical memory, strengthening public accountability and restoring trust in state institutions.
BNP has proposed a wide range of nationwide welfare initiatives, including a “family card” for every household member, farmer cards and agricultural insurance, recruitment of 100,000 health workers, mid-day meals in schools, free school uniforms, compulsory third-language education at the secondary level and a long-term goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2034.
The party also promises 500,000 government job recruitments, new regulations for private-sector employees, pension schemes, unemployment allowances and the creation of one million jobs in the IT sector.
On political reform, BNP outlines extensive institutional changes. These include restructuring state institutions, strengthening democracy, safeguarding Liberation War and July uprising, ensuring judicial independence, creating an upper house of parliament with 20 percent female representation, appointing a deputy speaker from the opposition, restoring the caretaker government system, introducing a vice-presidential post, limiting the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of ten years and amending Article 70 of the constitution.
Jamaat, meanwhile, has pledged to establish a corruption-free, justice-based state if elected. Its manifesto highlights women’s safety and dignified participation in society, reduced working hours during maternity and expanded training and employment opportunities for women.
The party outlines 26 government priorities alongside a 41-point plan focused on employment, youth development and expanding economic opportunities at home and abroad.
Women’s empowerment and minority inclusion feature prominently in both manifestos, though the framing differs. BNP stresses free education, inclusion in the administration and security forces, improved maternal and child healthcare and income-generating programmes. Jamaat focuses on women’s safety, dignity, maternity-friendly workplace policies and participation guided by religious and moral principles.
On minority rights, BNP prioritises education, healthcare, social welfare and family-based support programmes. Jamaat places greater emphasis on legal protection and political participation, again framing inclusion within religious and moral guidelines.
Analysts caution that leadership integrity, corruption control, law and order and public accountability will be decisive factors in determining whether these commitments translate into real change. Voters, they say, are likely to scrutinise promises aimed at women and minority communities particularly closely.
Both parties place anti-corruption at the heart of their 2026 agendas, promising white papers, asset recovery and investigations into graft to rebuild public trust.
Their economic visions diverge sharply. BNP aims to reach a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2034 through investment-led growth. Jamaat projects a two-trillion-dollar economy by 2040, with annual growth exceeding seven percent, a target analysts say may be difficult to achieve.
BNP plans to raise the tax-to-GDP ratio to 15 percent by 2035 by widening coverage and modernising systems. Jamaat focuses on financial sector reform but does not specify numeric targets.
In the energy sector, BNP sets concrete goals, including generating 35,000 megawatts by 2030, with 20 percent from renewable sources, alongside smart grids and mandatory project audits. Jamaat proposes broader reforms but does not provide numerical benchmarks.
Investment strategies also differ. BNP highlights attracting foreign direct investment through “FDI Captains”, faster licensing, smoother profit repatriation and city-centric development led by Chittagong. Jamaat stresses creating a friendlier business climate, supporting small and medium enterprises and controlling prices.
In agriculture, BNP promises loan waivers of Tk10,000, revival of the Barendra Project and improved mango storage facilities. Jamaat calls for a technology-driven agricultural transformation based on cooperatives, subsidies and climate resilience.
On employment, BNP targets placing two million workers abroad annually through a Migrant Card system and foreign-language training. Jamaat sets a much larger goal of creating jobs for seven crore youth, expanding manufacturing, placing five million workers overseas, introducing minimum wage negotiations and establishing extortion-free industrial zones.
Economist Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddiquee said both manifestos are ambitious but lack clear milestones, accountability mechanisms and inclusion criteria. He warned that without proper sequencing of reforms, strengthening of the financial sector and precise targeting, many commitments could fail to deliver tangible results.
Education reform features prominently in both manifestos. Shared pledges include forming an education commission, increasing budget allocations, modernising madrasa education, expanding vocational training, providing free education for female students up to postgraduate level and strengthening IT education and research.
BNP’s manifesto introduces several distinctive proposals, including creating a joyful learning environment, free school uniforms, compulsory third-language education at secondary level, an educational television channel, tax exemptions for private universities and up to one year of unemployment allowance for educated youth. The party also aims to create employment for at least two million people abroad annually through language and technical training.
Jamaat’s manifesto includes commitments absent from BNP’s plan, such as internationalising educational assessment standards, providing Tk 3,000 monthly stipends to underprivileged students, covering two semesters’ tuition for financially disadvantaged students admitted to foreign universities, offering interest-free loans of Tk10,000 per month to Tk 1 lakh undergraduate students for up to five years, separate recruitment and pay structures for school and college teachers, nationalising ibtedai madrasas, making at least one alia madrasa government-run in each district initially, and establishing what it describes as the world’s largest women’s university by merging Eden, Badru’nnesa and Home Economics colleges.
Monzur Ahmad, chair of the advisory committee on primary and secondary education and emeritus professor at BRAC University, welcomed the emphasis on forming a permanent education commission but expressed scepticism about implementation.
“Before every election, political parties make many promises to gain popularity, but how much of these manifestos are actually implemented is questionable,” he told TIMES of Bangladesh. He added that meaningful reform requires long-term five- and ten-year development plans and insulation of the education sector from political interference.
Healthcare is also presented as a fundamental right in both manifestos, with both parties aiming to reduce high out-of-pocket expenses that push families into poverty.
BNP proposes gradually increasing health spending to five percent of GDP, while Jamaat commits to tripling the health budget. BNP’s financing model centres on a Health Protection Fund offering up to Tk 5 lakh for critical care for the poor, alongside free or affordable essential medicines. Jamaat places universal health insurance at the core of its plan, with fully free services for children under five and citizens over sixty.
On implementation, BNP focuses on long-term infrastructure development, including primary healthcare units in every union and ward and modern district hospitals. Jamaat prioritises speed, aiming to make all hospitals fully functional within six to twelve months and rapidly filling vacant posts.
BNP highlights technology-driven healthcare solutions such as electronic health cards, AI-assisted diagnostics, recruitment of 1 lakh health workers with a target of 40 percent women, and preventive measures including tobacco control. Jamaat emphasises anti-corruption tools such as e-GP, stricter commission rules, expansion of ICUs, CCUs and dialysis at district level, telemedicine for urban areas, mental health programmes in schools and workplaces, medical tourism, domestic vaccine and pharmaceutical production, and enhanced services for women, children and older adults.
Public health expert and former WHO consultant Mohammad Mushtuq Husain called for allocating at least two percent of the national budget to health, with a focus on primary care and trained personnel.
He also urged the formation of independent commissions for health, police and public administration within six months of a new government to prevent political interference and ensure accountability.
Beyond economics and welfare, the two parties diverge on culture and history. BNP places special emphasis on sports and cultural activities, while Jamaat focuses on expanding religious education and restructuring education in line with the ideals of the July Revolution.
Both parties pledge to teach what they describe as the correct history of the Liberation War. BNP goes further by promising official lists of martyrs under state supervision, protection of mass graves and killing fields, and investment support for verified freedom fighters. Jamaat’s manifesto does not elaborate on measures concerning freedom fighters.
Jamaat places particular emphasis on the July uprising, pledging monthly stipends and grants for martyrs and the injured, housing and employment for their families, and state-funded medical treatment for those injured or disabled.
BNP, in contrast, promises to build local structures named after July uprising martyrs, assume responsibility for the children of deceased martyrs and provide specialised treatment and employment opportunities for the injured and disabled.
