Jamaat buoyed by BNP ‘infighting’ in Pabna as fractures widen

As “rebel” candidates weaken BNP across Pabna’s five constituencies, Jamaat advances disciplined campaigning

Campaigning heats up across Pabna’s five constituencies as a candidate carries out an election drive.

As election day inches closer, Pabna’s political landscape is shifting less through enthusiasm than erosion.

Across the district’s five constituencies, Jamaat-e-Islami candidates are campaigning with growing confidence, buoyed by unresolved internal disputes within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that have fractured its organisation at the most critical moment.

The tensions surfaced soon after the BNP announced its candidates. In several seats, leaders and activists protested; in some areas, movements demanded nominee changes.

Yet with polling day close, many disputes remain unresolved. BNP candidates are managing dissent and “rebel” contenders -- leaving space where Jamaat has moved in quickly to occupy.

With structured, door-to-door campaigning across all five constituencies, Jamaat has consolidated ground while its rivals struggle inwardly.

Political observers say the impact could be decisive.

In the 2001 parliamentary election, Jamaat -- then a BNP ally -- won two seats in Pabna. This time, analysts argue, the BNP’s internal discord could again redraw the political map, loosening the district’s longstanding two-party pattern between the Awami League and the BNP.

That shift is magnified by the Awami League’s absence. Arrests, cases, and ban on all political activities have pushed the party off the campaign trail.

Many voters now express fear about going to polling centres, raising concerns of low turnout and political disengagement.

PABNA-1 AND PABNA-2: JAMAAT PRESSES ADVANTAGE

In Pabna-1, Jamaat candidate Nazibur Rahman Momen has built momentum through planned campaigning. The seat carries historical weight: Jamaat’s former chief Motiur Rahman Nizami won here in both 1991 and 2001.

BNP candidate Shamsur Rahman faces internal divisions and uneven local support, while Jamaat’s women activists are conducting extensive door-to-door outreach.

Independent candidate Abu Sayeed has withdrawn and is now campaigning for the BNP, offering some relief. Still, voters fear low turnout, especially among Awami League supporters, and see the main fight as between the BNP and Jamaat.

In Pabna-2, the contest centres on the BNP’s AKM Selim Reza Habib and Jamaat’s Md Hesab Uddin.

Though the area has a large Awami League vote base, those supporters are largely absent. Selim Reza’s party base is strong, but Jamaat believes Hesab’s personal popularity and disciplined organisation give him an edge.

Several other candidates remain in the race, adding uncertainty as campaigning intensifies.

PABNA-3: BNP’S FRACTURE LINE

Wetland-dominated Pabna-3 has become the district’s most talked-about seat.

BNP nominee and Krishak Dal president Hasan Zafir Tuhin has been labelled an “outsider” and repeatedly sidelined by local leaders. The presence of BNP “rebel” candidate KM Anwarul Islam threatens to split the Sheaf of Paddy vote.

Jamaat candidate Mohammad Ali Asgar is quietly capitalising, consolidating support neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

With Awami League leaders jailed or driven out, their supporters remain politically directionless. Voters predict a possible three-way contest.

PABNA-4 AND PABNA-5: TIGHT, UNCERTAIN RACES

In Pabna-4, Jamaat’s Abu Taleb Mondal faces BNP’s Habibur Rahman Habib. It was once an Awami League stronghold.

Mondal is campaigning among railway workers and farming communities, while Habib relies on experience amid a crowded field.

In Pabna-5, the Sadar seat, Jamaat’s Iqbal Hossain faces the BNP’s Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas. Jamaat cites a deep-rooted vote bank built during Abdus Sobhan’s multiple terms.

Despite Jamaat’s aggressive outreach, Shimul retains a slight edge due to his personal image and longstanding social work.

WHAT PARTY LEADERS SAY

Abdul Gaffar Khan, secretary of Pabna district Jamaat-e-Islami, said: “Like elsewhere in the country, the BNP’s internal conflicts and lack of chain of command, combined with our organised structure, have made us hopeful of winning all five seats.

“Seeing our surge, BNP activists have lost their temper -- attacking us, obstructing campaigns, especially targeting women campaigners, vandalising and even setting fire to election camps in some areas.”

District BNP Joint Convenor and campaign committee member Anisul Haque Babu said, “There are rebel candidates in two of Pabna’s five seats. But as election day approaches, BNP leaders and activists are uniting behind the Sheaf of Paddy candidates.

“We expect to defeat Jamaat candidates by large margins in all five seats. Our campaign strategies differ this time, and nationwide there is a BNP wave. We believe victory is ours.”