Two BNP Rebels In Sunamganj, Jamaat Withdraws Candidate

In Sunamganj, two of the district’s five parliamentary constituencies have become hotly contested as two BNP members, denied party nominations, are standing as independent “rebel” candidates. Both have subsequently been expelled from the party. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami, which initially nominated candidates in all five constituencies, has withdrawn its candidate from one seat, signalling a strategic retreat.

Originally, 39 candidates filed nomination papers across Sunamganj’s five constituencies. After scrutiny and withdrawals, the number has been reduced to 23 candidates. Of these, 19 represent ten registered political parties, while four are independents. Among the independents, two are the aforementioned BNP rebels.

Sunamganj-3 Constituency (Jagannathpur & Shantiganj)
Seven candidates are contesting here. The BNP nominee is Mohammad Koyeshar Ahmed, a member of the party’s central executive committee and former general secretary of BNP UK. Denied the party nomination, Mohammad Anwar Hossain, former vice-president of the district BNP and a current member of the BNP convening committee, is contesting as an independent. Hossain was expelled from the party on Wednesday.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Yasin Khan initially filed for nomination but later withdrew following consultations with other alliance parties. Jamaat’s withdrawal has left three candidates from allied parties in the fray:

Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury, central Naib-e-Amir of Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis and former MP

Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed, Khilafat Majlis

Syed Talha Alam, Amar Bangladesh Party (AB)

Khan told the press, “Alliance partners preferred no Jamaat candidate in this seat, so I withdrew. We are not supporting any candidate in return.”

Independent candidate Anwar Hossain stated, “The party failed to meet local expectations in candidate selection, which is why I am contesting independently. Public support has been encouraging.” Other independents in this constituency include Mahfuzur Rahman Khaled and Hussain Ahmed.

Sunamganj-4 Constituency (Sadar & Bishwambarpur)
Five candidates are contesting. BNP’s nominee is Nurul Islam, former general secretary of the district BNP and a member of the convening committee. Deprived of a nomination, Dewan Zainul Zakir, former senior vice-president of the district BNP, is contesting independently and was expelled from the party. Jamaat-e-Islami has fielded Md. Shams Uddin, the district Naib-e-Amir, while the other contenders are Nazmul Huda (Jatiya Party) and Shahidul Islam (Islami Andolan Bangladesh).

Summary of Key Candidates in Sunamganj:

The upcoming polls in Sunamganj are shaping up to be particularly intense, with internal party disputes, independent bids, and strategic withdrawals from Jamaat-e-Islami creating an unpredictable electoral landscape.