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Published : 15 Feb 2026, 01:23 AM
Jatiya Party has suffered a near wipe-out in its former stronghold Rangpur, while a Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance has emerged as the dominant force in the division.
The alliance won 19 of the region’s 33 seats in the national election.
BNP secured 13 seats and an independent candidate won one.
The Rangpur-3 seat, long controlled by former president and Jatiya Party founder HM Ershad and his family, slipped from the party’s grasp, with chairman GM Quader failing to mount a meaningful challenge.
Secretary General Shameem Haider Patwary, who contested in two seats, lost his deposit in one and finished third in the other.
The party failed to win any seat nationwide.
Rangpur Begum Rokeya University professor Tuhin Wadud said Jatiya Party’s popularity had been in decline for years but the weakness was masked by its alignment with Awami League in previous elections.
He noted that Jamaat had quietly built grassroots support, particularly through women’s networks, during years when it could not operate openly.
That organisational base translated into votes after the political shift of Aug 5, 2024.
He also said BNP secured votes but could not match Jamaat’s field organisation.
Another local observer cited Jatiya Party’s association with past power structures, weak grassroots mobilisation, delayed campaigning and internal divisions as key factors behind the poor performance.
Jatiya Party vice-chairman and former Rangpur mayor Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa alleged sustained propaganda against the party after the July Uprising had confused activists and eroded support.
He said the party had only 11 days to campaign and entered the field too late.
Central leader Azmal Hossain Lebu claimed the party was defeated through “election engineering”, a view echoed by metropolitan general secretary AHM Yasin.
However, another city leader acknowledged internal problems and central political disputes had weakened the party.
Since Ershad’s death in 2019, the party has been divided between factions led by Rowshan Ershad and GM Quader.
Several senior leaders left the party after Aug 5, 2024 further weakening its structure.
Attempts to revive the organisation by reshuffling leadership and bringing back expelled figures failed to prevent the electoral collapse.
Rangpur-3 MP-elect Mahbubur Rahman Belal said his party’s victory stemmed from 17 years of grassroots work among poorer communities.
Jamaat leaders also claimed their activists’ role in past political movements helped build public trust.
