Allegations of Pre-Poll Voting Rock Brahmanbaria-2

Independent parliamentary candidate Rumin Farhana has alleged that plans are being made to manipulate voting in parts of the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency by casting ballots the night before polling day. The constituency comprises Sarail, Ashuganj and parts of Bijoynagar. Farhana, who was recently expelled from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), claimed that she had received credible information suggesting that certain polling centres in Sarail could be sealed after advance voting, undermining the integrity of the election.

Speaking on Thursday afternoon at a courtyard meeting organised by her supporters at the Alinagar Government Primary School field in Ward No. 7 of Sarail municipality, Farhana urged local residents to remain vigilant. Addressing the gathering, she appealed directly to voters, describing them as her relatives and brothers, and asked them to guard polling centres to ensure that votes are cast lawfully and transparently on election day.

Farhana also outlined an ambitious development agenda should she be elected as the Member of Parliament for Sarail–Ashuganj. She promised to take steps towards establishing a municipality in the area, improving healthcare services at the upazila health complex, and upgrading local roads, schools, colleges, mosques and madrasas. Emphasising resource justice, she pledged to resist any attempt to divert Brahmanbaria’s natural gas to other regions without benefiting the local population. She added that if she failed to deliver on these commitments within five years, voters should not support her in the next election.

Addressing scepticism about the effectiveness of an independent MP, Farhana argued that political independence does not equate to weakness. She stated that elected representatives retain the power to press the government forcefully over legitimate public demands. In a controversial remark, she said that if authorities ignored the rightful claims of her constituents, she would consider organising protests, including blocking the Dhaka–Sylhet Highway from Ashuganj to Budhanti, a stretch of approximately 34 kilometres, to draw national attention.

In an emotional appeal, Farhana told voters that she had left her ailing mother in Dhaka to campaign, prioritising the people of her constituency over party instructions and the comforts of city life. She described voters as the custodians of her electoral mandate until polling day on the 12th, entrusting them with the responsibility of safeguarding her votes.

In Brahmanbaria-2, the BNP-led alliance has nominated Maulana Junayed Al Habib, central vice-president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, as its official candidate. Farhana is contesting as an independent following her expulsion from the BNP on 30 December, a development that has added further political tension to the race.

The key political dynamics of the constituency are summarised below:

As polling day approaches, allegations of electoral malpractice and competing claims of legitimacy have intensified political debate in Brahmanbaria-2, raising questions about electoral security, voter participation and the broader credibility of the democratic process in the constituency.