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Published : 11 Feb 2026, 07:33 PM
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has accused the Jamaat-e-Islami of buying votes with cash in a bid to block what it described as the “inevitable victory” of the Sheaf of Paddy in the parliamentary election.
The allegation came in the wake of the detention of the Thakurgaon district Jamaat chief at Nilphamari’s Saidpur Airport on the eve of the election with a large sum of cash.
On Wednesday afternoon, BNP spokesperson Mahdi Amin said: “A group is making desperate attempts to create obstacles in the face of BNP’s inevitable victory.”
“We saw in the media this morning that police detained the Thakurgaon district Jamaat ameer at Saidpur Airport after he arrived from Dhaka, carrying more than Tk 5 million in cash,” he said.
After counting, police said Tk 7.4 million was found in the bag of Jamaat leader Belal Uddin Pradhan after detention.
“At a time when all banks, financial institutions and business transactions are shut to prevent illegal financial dealings during the election, it is only natural that serious questions are being raised,” Mahdi added.
“Where did a district-level top Jamaat leader get such a huge amount of money from, and for what purpose, and to whom was he planning to distribute it as he travelled from Dhaka to Thakurgaon on the eve of the election?”
Thakurgaon district Jamaat chief Belal was detained at Saidpur Airport on Wednesday with a bag of cash.
Saidpur Police chief Rezaul Karim said Tk 7.4 million was recovered from his possession.
Jamaat has described the incident as “staged”, with party spokesperson Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair demanding his immediate release.
Mahdi said, “You don’t need to be an expert to understand that such a large amount of money cannot be for business purposes when all business activities have been shut down for four consecutive days.
“This violation of the code of conduct clearly shows the moral and political bankruptcy of an isolated party.
“Those who speak against corruption should explain how buying votes with money aligns with their claims of integrity.”
The national elections and referendum will be held on Thursday.
BNP is contesting in 291 seats under the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol. On the other hand, Jamaat has fielded candidates for 228 seats.
Mahdi said, “There is no chance to view the Saidpur Airport incident as an isolated one. Because, like other places in the country, similar illegal and immoral transactions have been seen in the constituency of the Jamaat chief, Dhaka-15, as well as Cumilla, Noakhali, and Khulna.
“Earlier, the party’s leaders went door to door and collected the voters’ bKash numbers and voter IDs.
“However, countrymen have already rejected such illegal money transfers or the temptation of ‘tickets to paradise’.”
He called on the EC and law-enforcing agencies across the country to increase surveillance against this attempt to buy votes.
"BEWARE OF VOTE RIGGING"
During the campaign, BNP candidates have shared their fear of “vote rigging”.
Mahdi said, “In many places, miscreants of that party face public resistance while buying votes.
“We have also learned about the production of large numbers of burqas and niqabs across the country.
“As a party that upholds Islamic values, BNP respects women’s dignity and the religious importance of the veil. But if someone misuses this dress to cast fake votes, it must be prevented.
“Identity verification should involve a photograph of the face, such as from an NID, Hajj, or Umrah passport, in the presence of female election officials and agents where applicable.”
He said the election is a “great opportunity to protest the image of humiliation” that a certain political party is creating by limiting working hours, depriving women of nominations, and labelling them indecent.
