Jhenaidah BNP remains on shaky ground after the announcement of the schedule for the 13th Parliamentary Elections, as the party has named a candidate for only one of the four constituencies.
In the four parliamentary constituencies of the district, Jamaat-e-Islami, AB Party, and Islami Andolon Bangladesh have already announced their candidates, but BNP has declared a candidate only for the Jhenaidah-3 constituency.
For the other three seats, BNP supporters remain anxious and frustrated due to the absence of any clear signals about the party’s nominees.
In Jhenaidah-1, Jamaat-e-Islami nominated Maulana ASM Matiur Rahman, the district amir, who has been actively campaigning with his party workers.
In this constituency, the Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate is Nur Alam Biswas, the brother of district Awami League vice-president, and former leader of the district Matsyajibi League. He joined Islami Andolon Bangladesh and secured the nomination.
AB Party has fielded Matiar Rahman for this constituency.
BNP’s possible candidates for this seat include Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman, BNP’s Khulna Division Organisational Secretary Jayanta Kumar Kundu, and Osman Ali, the district convenor of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal.
Asaduzzaman has announced that if he receives the party’s nomination, he will resign from his official duties to contest the election.
To attract voters, he has been instrumental in securing additional fertiliser and seed allocations for the constituency and approvals for road construction.
However, Jayanta Kundu has a strong following within the upazila BNP, claiming that if nominated, the seat will remain with BNP.
Jhenaidah-2, the ‘most significant’ constituency in the district, includes the district town and is known for its historical connection with BNP.
In this constituency, Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated Ali Azam Muhammad Abu Bakar, the district amir. He became prominent in the local political landscape after the fall of the Awami League government.
Although many BNP leaders expressed interest in contesting here, district BNP President MA Majid and late former MP Mashiur Rahman’s son, Dr Ibrahim Rahman Babu, are the primary contenders.
Majid has been seen regularly on the campaign trail, while Ibrahim Rahman Babu has been noticeably absent from the field for over a week. Political analysts suggest that Majid is the most popular candidate here.
Jhenaidah-3 sees Mehedi Hasan Roni, the son of the late former MP Shahidul Islam Master, nominated by BNP.
He faces strong competition from Jamaat-e-Islami’s Maulana Matiur Rahman, who is quite popular in the area.
Roni, however, is perceived as a weaker candidate compared to Maulana Matiur Rahman among the locals.
AB Party has nominated Mufti Mujahidul Islam for this seat.
Jhenaidah-4 sees a fierce battle within BNP between its two popular candidates, Saiful Islam Firoz, central joint secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Swechchhasebak Dal and Hamidul Islam Hamid, joint convener of the upazila BNP.
With internal rivalry escalating, there are fears that Jamaat-e-Islami may benefit from any conflicts within BNP.
Political analysts suggest that if BNP can nominate the right candidate in Jhenaidah-1, they will likely win the seat.
However, if BNP decides to leave Jhenaidah-2 for a coalition candidate, Jamaat-e-Islami is expected to benefit and gain control of the seat.
In Jhenaidah-3, Maulana Matiur Rahman’s popularity gives him an edge, and in Jhenaidah-4, the ongoing internal rivalry within BNP could play into Jamaat-e-Islami’s hands.
The outcome of the elections will largely depend on who BNP selects as its final candidates for these constituencies.
According to election office data, Jhenaidah district has 1,586,678 voters across four parliamentary constituencies.
Jhenaidah-1 covers Shailkupa upazila with 321,604 voters at 117 polling centres.
Jhenaidah-2 includes parts of Sadar upazila and Harinakunda with 496,109 voters at 194 polling centres.
Jhenaidah-3 covers Kotchandpur and Maheshpur upazilas with 424,958 voters at 166 polling centres.
Jhenaidah-4 includes three unions from Jhenaidah Sadar and Kaliganj upazilas with 344,707 voters at 121 polling centres.
There are 795,347 male voters and 791,314 female voters in the district.
