In the high-stakes final hours before the 13th National Parliamentary Election, a storm of controversy has engulfed the Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency. A 28-second video, which has rapidly transitioned from local Facebook groups to national viral status, purportedly shows an activist from the National Citizen Party (NCP) distributing cash to women—an act widely alleged by rivals to be a direct attempt to purchase votes for Hasnat Abdullah.
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The Viral Footage and Bribery Allegations
The footage, reportedly captured in the Burirpar area of the Subil Union, identifies an NCP worker named Md. Mishkat handing out 100-BDT notes to a queue of local women. On various social media platforms, the video has been framed as a blatant and coordinated attempt to secure electoral support for Hasnat Abdullah, the Chief Organiser of the NCP and a prominent candidate backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance.
The timing of the video’s release, falling on the very eve of the poll, has heightened tensions in an already volatile electoral environment. Accusations that these funds were distributed specifically to influence the ballot in favour of Mr Abdullah have become a central theme in the final hours of the campaign, with opposition supporters using the footage to demand immediate administrative intervention.
Incident Fact File: Cumilla-4 (Debidwar)
| Category | Details |
| Primary Allegation | Vote-buying specifically to benefit Hasnat Abdullah. |
| Location | Burirpar, Subil Union, Debidwar Upazila. |
| Amount Distributed | 100 BDT per person. |
| Implicated Party | National Citizen Party (NCP) / Jamaat-led Alliance. |
| Electoral Stakes | Head-to-head between Hasnat Abdullah and Jasim Uddin. |
| Current Status | Video evidence being circulated for legal review by the EC. |
Defence and Counter-Narrative
While Hasnat Abdullah—a former coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination movement—has not issued a personal statement regarding the footage, his inner circle has moved quickly to perform damage control. Nazmul Hasan Nahid, an organiser of the Central Youth Force and a close associate of the candidate, dismissed the vote-buying narrative as malicious propaganda.
“This is a distorted representation of an earlier courtyard meeting,” Nahid claimed on Wednesday night. “The 100 BDT given to the participants was a modest allowance for breakfast and refreshments, a standard practice for such gatherings, and not an attempt to buy loyalty. It is being weaponised by our opponents to tarnish Mr Abdullah’s reputation at the eleventh hour.”
The Electoral Landscape of Debidwar
The race in Cumilla-4 has taken an unexpected turn following the disqualification of the BNP’s original heavy-hitter, Engineer Manjurul Ahsan Munshi. Mr Munshi’s candidacy was struck down by the courts due to bank loan defaults and discrepancies in his affidavit. In his absence, the BNP has extended its formal support to Jasim Uddin of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, who is contesting under the ‘Truck’ symbol.
Consequently, the contest has effectively narrowed down to a fierce rivalry between the BNP-supported Jasim Uddin and the NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah. Local observers suggest that the viral video, and the resulting perception of financial influence-peddling for Mr Abdullah, could play a significant role in swaying the “silent voters” who remain undecided as the polls open today.