Thursday, 21st May 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 21st January 2026, 11:10 PM
The political landscape in Bogra-2 (Shibganj) has undergone a dramatic transformation following the collapse of seat-sharing negotiations between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Mahmudur Rahman Manna’s Nagorik Oikya. With the failure to reach a consensus, the stage is now set for a fierce three-way contest that pits the traditional dominance of the BNP against a resurgent Jamaat-e-Islami and Manna’s independent “Kettle” campaign.
On Wednesday, 21 January 2026, the Returning Officer finalised the allocation of symbols for seven candidates. While the field includes representatives from the Jatiya Party and Gono Odhikar Parishad, local analysts and voters agree that the true battle lies between three heavyweights.
The Shibganj constituency is a significant electoral prize, boasting a balanced demographic of over 342,000 voters. The parity between male and female voters suggests that turnout and grassroots engagement will be the deciding factors on 12 February.
| Candidate | Party | Symbol | Status / Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mir Shahe Alam | BNP | Sheaf of Paddy | President, Shibganj Upazila BNP |
| Abul Azad M. Shahaduজ্জামান | Jamaat-e-Islami | Scales | Former MP (1991) |
| Mahmudur Rahman Manna | Nagorik Oikya | Kettle | President, Nagorik Oikya |
| Shariful Islam Jinnah | Jatiya Party | Plough | Current fugitive (Multiple cases) |
| Selim Sarkar | Gono Odhikar | Truck | Emergent third-party challenger |
Voter Demographics:
Total Voters: 342,155
Male: 171,497 | Female: 170,653 | Third Gender: 5
For Mahmudur Rahman Manna, this election is a matter of personal and political survival. Having contested four previous national elections under various banners—including the Awami League and the BNP-led alliance—Manna has yet to taste victory in Shibganj. His journey to the 2026 ballot was nearly thrashed when the Returning Officer disqualified him over alleged loan defaults; however, a successful High Court appeal reinstated his “Kettle” symbol just in time for the campaign launch.
Shahiul Islam, the local convenor for Nagorik Oikya, expressed bitterness over the BNP’s decision to “ignore” their leader. “The BNP backed away from their commitment to the alliance. But Manna’s popularity has surged in recent years. If the vote is fair, the ‘Kettle’ will prevail,” he asserted.
The BNP remains the historical favourite in this region. Candidate Mir Shahe Alam dismissed the notion that Manna was pushed out, claiming the Nagorik Oikya leader chose to leave the alliance himself. “After 1996, we are finally free from the ‘curse of the alliance’ in this seat,” Alam remarked. He believes voters will choose the “Sheaf of Paddy” out of loyalty to Tarique Rahman and the local development projects he has championed.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami presents a formidable challenge. Their candidate, Maulana Abul Kalam Shahadatuzzaman, served as the MP for this seat in 1991 and maintains a deep-rooted social network. Unlike the Jatiya Party’s Shariful Islam Jinnah—who is currently in hiding due to several murder cases filed after the August 2024 uprising—the Jamaat and BNP candidates are actively mobilising their bases.
As the official campaign window opens tomorrow, Shibganj prepares for a high-stakes showdown where the splintering of the opposition vote may produce a highly unpredictable result.
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