Sylhet-5: Local BNP Leaders Demand Their Own Candidate over Alliance Nominee

A simmering tension has surfaced within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the Sylhet-5 constituency—covering Kanaighat and Zakiganj—as local leaders and activists openly reject the idea of surrendering the seat to an alliance partner. Although the BNP has yet to announce its official nominee, speculation is rife that the party may once again allocate the seat to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, with its central president Ubaydullah Faruq emerging as a likely beneficiary.

This possibility has left BNP’s grassroots organisers dissatisfied and visibly aggrieved, prompting them to demand a full, independent BNP candidate for the seat rather than another round of alliance bargaining.

A Seat Shaped by Islam-Oriented Politics

Local observers note that Sylhet-5 has historically been influenced by the support bases of various Islamic political entities. In previous elections, several Islamic parties leveraged alliance arrangements to secure the nomination from BNP or other major parties, capitalising on their perceived religious vote banks.

However, BNP insiders claim that such influence is often overstated. According to them, Islamic parties are fragmented and do not possess a unified vote bank of their own. Instead, they argue that BNP supporters form the strongest and most consistent voter bloc in the constituency. They insist that the party’s symbol, the paddy sheaf, has repeatedly been used by minor alliance partners to clinch victory—something local BNP leaders are no longer willing to accept.

A History of Diverse Political Control

Since independence, Sylhet-5 has witnessed a colourful political history:

• Awami League has captured the seat four times,
• Jatiya Party three times,
• Independent candidates twice,
  while BNP, Islami Oikya Jote, and Jamaat-e-Islami have each won once.

In the most recent (12th) parliamentary election, independent candidate Mohammad Hushamuddin Chowdhury—son of the famed religious figure Fultoli Huzur—secured victory, benefitting from the substantial influence enjoyed by followers of Anjuman-e-Al-Islah, the organisation established by his father.

As discussions intensify ahead of the 13th parliamentary election, questions loom large: Will Hushamuddin contest again? Or will the influential Fultoli vote bank swing in favour of another party?

BNP’s Long Absence from the Seat

The BNP last fielded its own candidate here in the controversial 15 February 1996 election, winning on that occasion. Since 2001, however, alliance politics have dictated that the seat be ceded to Islamist partners.

• In 2001 and 2008, Jamaat leader Farid Uddin Chowdhury contested—winning once.
• In the 11th election, the BNP’s alliance nominee was Jamiat leader Ubaydullah Faruq, despite local favourite Mamunur Rashid (Chaksu Mamun) receiving the party’s initial nomination.

Faruq himself told Prothom Alo that he has been “working on the ground for a long time” and expects clarity on the BNP–Jamiat alliance “within days”.

BNP Nomination Hopefuls for Sylhet-5

Many of these aspirants insist that the paddy sheaf vote is strongest here, making a BNP-only candidate essential for victory. Mamunur Rashid argues that “the people will no longer tolerate alliance candidates who have no real popularity”.

Other Parties Moving on the Ground

Jamaat-e-Islami’s local Nayeb-e-Ameer Anwar Hossain Khan is already campaigning, alongside candidates from:

• Islami Andolan Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis
• Khelafat Majlis (Sylhet Division)
• Islami Oikya Jote

However, the Jatiya Party has shown little visible activity so far.