Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has finalised its candidates for all parliamentary constituencies— with 80% new faces— as the Islamist party begins full-scale election preparations.
Only 59 of its nominees have previous election experience, and just nine were former MPs. The new list includes many leaders aged between 35 and 45. “This time, our candidates are young and educated. They’ll win people’s hearts,” said Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher.
Jamaat’s Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, set to contest from Khulna-5, said nearly 40 million young voters would decide the polls. “Our new candidates are working for Bangladesh, and I believe the youth will support them,” he said.
Prominent new candidates include ex-Shibir leaders Shafiqul Islam Masud, Muhammad Rezaul Karim, and lawyer Shishir Monir, while sons of executed leaders — Najibur Rahman Momin (Pabna-1), Masud and Shamim Sayeedi (Pirojpur), and Mir Ahmad Bin Arman (Dhaka-14)— also feature.
Jamaat is also leading talks to form an Islamic alliance with Islami Andolon Bangladesh and six smaller parties, aiming for proportional representation and a referendum on the July National Charter.
BNP promises biggest budget for education: Tarique Rahman
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman has vowed to allocate the highest share of the national budget to education if the party returns to power, saying “an effective education system is essential for ensuring the security of the state.”
Speaking virtually at a scholarship award event in Kishoreganj on Saturday, Tarique said, “Every individual has hidden talents that must be nurtured and developed.” The event, organised by the Khandaker Shamsul Alam Foundation, was part of BNP’s 31-point state reform proposal.
He said BNP plans to build a modern, technology-driven education system to make Bangladesh “skilled and future-ready.” A team of experts is already modernising the existing structure, he added.
Tarique Rahman, widely seen as the frontrunner for Bangladesh’s next prime minister, said: “There’s no alternative to equipping oneself with modern science and innovative technology to strengthen the country’s foundation.”