Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and JSD (Rob) have nominated candidates in all three parliamentary constituencies of Feni. AB Party has fielded a candidate in one constituency. However, in Feni-1, one of the three constituencies, the BNP’s candidate, the party chairperson Khaleda Zia, is currently hospitalised in critical condition. Her illness has also affected the BNP’s election campaign.
Nevertheless, political parties in Feni had become active well in advance of the national election. Although BNP candidates were elected multiple times in Feni’s three constituencies in the past, Jamaat is now in the field as a competitor. In the 2008 ninth national parliamentary election, Awami League formed the government, but all three seats in Feni went to the BNP.
In each of the following three elections, held essentially uncontested, the seats were taken by the Awami League and its alliance partners, JASAD and the Jatiya Party. During the Awami League’s 15 years in power, BNP and Jamaat leaders and activists faced persecution, attacks, lawsuits and enforced disappearances.
This time, two senior BNP leaders, including the party chairperson, are contesting from two constituencies in Feni. In Feni-3, the party’s vice-chairman and industrialist Abdul Awal Mintoo is running as the candidate. In Feni-2, the BNP candidate is former member of parliament Zainal Abedin, popularly known as VP Zainal.
Because of Khaleda Zia’s illness, Abdul Awal Mintoo, BNP vice-chairman and the party’s nominated candidate for Feni-3 (Daganbhuiyan–Sonagazi), has suspended his election campaign. At a prayer gathering held in Sonagazi on 29 November for the BNP chairperson, he said that Begum Khaleda Zia is undergoing treatment in critical condition at the hospital. Her recovery is the priority. Therefore, he has announced the suspension of all campaign activities.
So far, there has been no major internal dispute within the BNP in Feni regarding party nominations. However, on 7 November, district BNP member-secretary Alal Uddin Alal drew widespread attention on social media by filing an unusually styled “review petition” on Facebook seeking a change of candidate for the Feni-2 constituency.
Sheikh Farid Bahar, convener of the Feni district BNP, said, “BNP is a large party and differences of opinion are natural. But whoever is nominated as the sheaf-of-paddy candidate, party leaders and workers will work for that person. As in the past, the BNP will win all three seats in Feni by a large margin.”
Jamaat, however, is also optimistic about victory. Mufti Abdul Hannan, amir of Jamaat’s Feni district unit, said that Jamaat has been campaigning in all three Feni constituencies for the past eight to nine months after announcing its candidates. They have also been participating in social activities.
AB Party is similarly hopeful, placing its confidence in new voters. Aflatun Baki, the party’s senior joint convener for Feni district, said, “In the new Bangladesh after the events of 5 August 2024, voters are looking for new candidates. In that context, AB Party chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju is one of the leading choices.”
Feni-1 (Chhagalnaiya, Fulgazi, Parshuram)
In this constituency, BNP’s candidate is the party chairperson, Begum Khaleda Zia. Jamaat’s candidate is SM Kamal Uddin, a member of the party’s central Majlish-e-Shura. The candidate for Islami Andolan Bangladesh is its central adviser Farid Uddin Al Mobarak. Maulana Nazmul Alam is contesting from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, and Shamsuddin Mojumdar, general secretary of the Feni district branch, is the candidate from JSD.
Begum Khaleda Zia has been elected member of parliament from this seat five times. In the few elections in the country that were considered credible, BNP did not win all seats, but in this constituency, the party has won six times since independence, Awami League twice, Jatiya Party twice, and JASAD twice. In addition, Rafiqul Alam Majnu, convener of the Dhaka South City BNP, has been regularly conducting public outreach on Khaleda Zia’s behalf. He says, “Khaleda is Feni’s daughter. As long as she is alive, no one here even considers an alternative to her. As in the past, the BNP chairperson will again win by a huge margin.”
Feni-2 (Sadar)
The BNP candidate in Feni-2 is Zainal Abedin, also known as VP Zainal. The Jamaat candidate is Liaqat Ali Bhuiyan, a member of the party’s central Majlish-e-Shura. Islami Andolan Bangladesh has fielded district secretary Muhammad Ekramul Haque Bhuiyan. From Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Maulana Harunur Rashid Bhuiyan, central committee’s publicity and publication secretary, is contesting. JSD’s joint convener for Dhaka North, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and AB Party chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju are also candidates in this constituency.
In Feni-2, from 1973 to 2024, seven of the 12 parliamentary elections were won by Awami League, two by the BNP, and one by JASAD (Rab).
BNP candidate Zainal Abedin has contested seven times and been elected member of parliament three times. He is also a member of the BNP chairperson’s advisory council. However, a section of the district BNP convener committee had sought a change of candidate in this constituency.
Elections are always a challenge. It is still unclear who will be the BNP’s main rival in this election. However, I am optimistic about victory.Abdul Awal Mintoo, BNP leader
On this, Zainal Abedin told Prothom Alo, “There is no factionalism within BNP in my constituency. The party has nominated me because of my integrity and past record. Those few who are opposed will also work to ensure the victory of the sheaf-of-paddy symbol before the election.”
In this constituency, Jamaat candidate Liaqat Ali Bhuiyan has also been actively engaging with voters.
In addition to BNP and Jamaat, AB Party chairman Mujibur Rahman Manju is contesting from this seat. He has already begun public outreach and discussions in the area.
Manju said, “We are preparing to contest the election independently. At the same time, discussions are ongoing about forming a new-style alliance. I will contest from Feni-2; that is almost certain. As a candidate, I am new. This is my first election. Most of the other contenders are well-known, experienced leaders. I believe that in this election, people’s attraction to the old leaders is lower, while interest and expectations toward new candidates are somewhat higher.”
Feni-3 (Sonagazi and Daganbhuiya
The voter population in this constituency, which comprises two sub-districts, is larger than that of the other two constituencies. All previous members of parliament elected here were residents of Sonagazi. No one from Daganbhuiyan has ever won a parliamentary seat. However, this time the scenario is different: the two main political parties, BNP and Jamaat, have their candidates’ homes in Daganbhuiyan.
In this constituency, besides BNP vice-chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo, the candidates are, Dr. Md. Fakhruddin Manik, central Majlish-e-Shura member and assistant secretary of Dhaka North Jamaat; Saif Uddin Shipon of Islami Andolan Bangladesh; Enamul Haque Musa, organizational secretary of the central committee of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis; and Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapon, central general secretary of JSD. From this seat, BNP has won five times, Jatiya Party four times, Awami League twice, and an independent candidate once.
BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo is contesting a parliamentary election for the first time. He said, “Elections are always a challenge. It is still unclear who will be the BNP’s main rival in this election. However, I am optimistic about victory.”
Jamaat candidate Dr. Md. Fakhruddin Manik said, “Since the party announced my candidacy, regular campaigning has been underway in the area. Voters want change.