Jhenaidah BNP Factions Protest Against Gono Odhikar Candidate

A fierce internal rebellion has erupted within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Jhenaidah-4, as local leaders and activists took to the streets on Friday to declare Rashed Khan, the General Secretary of Gono Odhikar Parishad, persona non grata. The protest, marked by a dramatic display of supporters wearing shrouds (traditional burial cloth), signals a deepening rift within the opposition alliance following the announcement of seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming general election.

The demonstration began at 4:30 pm at the Kaliganj main bus stand, weaving through the town’s primary arteries before returning to the starting point. Protesters marched under the leadership of high-profile figures, including Saiful Islam (Firoz), Senior Joint General Secretary of the central Swechchasebak Dal, and Murshida Zaman Beltu, a member of the District BNP Advisory Committee and widow of the late former MP Shahiduzzaman Beltu.

The unrest was triggered by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s recent announcement that the party would concede 28 seats to its alliance partners. Among the first ten officially released nominations was the Jhenaidah-4 seat, which was allocated to Rashed Khan of Gono Odhikar Parishad. This decision has sparked a backlash from the local rank and file, who view Mr Khan as an “outsider” being imposed upon a constituency where BNP loyalists have spent years resisting political suppression.

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Addressing the rally, Murshida Zaman Beltu expressed the collective frustration of the local leadership. “We have endured the misrule of the previous regime for years on the front lines,” she declared. “We cannot accept an outsider being handed the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol. We demand that the nomination be returned to a dedicated party leader who understands this soil.”

Saiful Islam went further, alleging a “conspiracy” within the party’s divisional hierarchy. He claimed that Rashed Khan was originally intended for the Jhenaidah-2 seat and suggested that financial incentives may have influenced the sudden shift to Jhenaidah-4. “The people of Kaliganj are the masters of their votes,” he told the cheering crowd. When he asked if he should contest the election regardless of the party’s formal decision, the assembly vociferously urged him to run as an independent candidate.

The intensity of the dissent has even manifested in social media viral videos. Two young activists, identified as Farhad Hossain and Shakil Ahmed of the Upazila Jubo Dal, were filmed symbolically holding their ears—a gesture of extreme regret and penance—vowing never to participate in BNP politics again if the nomination of Rashed Khan is not revoked. As the election draws near, the central BNP leadership faces the difficult task of balancing alliance commitments with the volatile demands of its grassroots base.