Hindus among 4 from minority communities elected to Bangladesh parliament

In a political landscape long defined by shifting alliances and sharp ideological divides, four candidates from minority communities — including two Hindus — emerged victorious in Bangladesh’s recent general elections, all contesting under the banner of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is set to form the next government on Tuesday.

Among the winners are veteran leaders Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and Nitai Roy Chowdhury, both prominent Hindu faces within the BNP. Roy, a member of the party’s highest policy-making standing committee, secured a seat in Dhaka, while Chowdhury — a vice president of the party and a key strategist for its top leadership — triumphed in the western constituency of Magura. In both constituencies, they defeated candidates fielded by the Jamaat-e-Islami.

From the lush, rugged hills of the southeast, Saching Pru — a senior BNP leader and a Buddhist belonging to the Marma ethnic community — won from Bandarban, a district known for its cultural diversity and scenic terrain. In neighbouring Rangamati, Dipen Dewan, a member of the predominantly Buddhist Chakma ethnic group, claimed victory. Though often described as a Hindu, Dewan’s precise religious identity remains a matter of public ambiguity.

Dewan defeated an independent Chakma contender, while Pru overcame a candidate from the National Citizen Party (NCP), a student-led formation that emerged last year from the Students Against Discrimination movement — the same movement that spearheaded the mass protests culminating in the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.

In a Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people, where Hindus comprise roughly eight per cent of the population, minority representation remains closely watched. According to the Election Commission, 79 candidates from religious minority communities — including 10 women, most of them Hindus — contested Thursday’s polls. Of these, 67 were nominated by 22 political parties, while 12 ran as independents.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) fielded the highest number of minority candidates at 17. It was followed by the Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal (BSD) and the Bangladesh Minority Janata Party (BMJP), which nominated eight each, and the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BASOD), which fielded seven. The BNP nominated six minority candidates, while the Jatiya Party put forward four.

In a notable first, the Jamaat-e-Islami nominated a Hindu candidate — veteran businessman Krishna Nandi — from the southwestern Khulna-1 constituency. Though he finished as runner-up to a BNP candidate, his candidacy marked a symbolic departure for the country’s largest Islamist party and sparked widespread discussion.

In the previous general elections of 2018 and 2024, 17 Hindu lawmakers were elected each time, the majority representing Hasina’s Awami League.

This year, led by Tarique Rahman, the BNP swept to power with a commanding two-thirds majority, securing 49.97 per cent of the vote and 209 seats, according to results declared on Friday. The Jamaat-e-Islami recorded its strongest-ever electoral performance, winning 31.76 per cent of the vote and 68 seats. The NCP emerged as the third-largest force, capturing six seats and 3.05 per cent of the vote.

As Bangladesh turns a new political page, the presence of minority voices within the ruling party adds a significant dimension to the evolving narrative of representation and inclusion in the nation’s democratic journey.

With PTI inputs