Expatriates make their presence felt in electioneering in Sylhet–Sunamganj

US expatriate Abdur Rab arrived in Bangladesh on 2 January. He has not spent a single day at home since his return. Every day, he has been conducting door-to-door campaigning in various constituencies of Sylhet district in support of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidates, seeking votes. After the election, he plans to return to the United States.

UK expatriate Mohammad Abul Hossain has also returned home and joined the election campaign. A resident of Jagannathpur pourashava in Sunamganj, he said he came to Bangladesh about a month ago with several friends and has been working for the local BNP candidate.

Abdur Rab and Abul Hossain are not alone. Thousands of expatriates like them have become active in electioneering in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Some have come from the United States, others from the United Kingdom.

There are also expatriates from France, Belgium, other European countries, the Middle East and elsewhere. Some support the BNP, others Jamaat-e-Islami. Supporters of the National Citizen Party (NCP), Khelafat Majlis, Islami Andolan and other parties have also returned to vote and to take part in campaigning.

However, despite the influx of expatriates, local residents say the electoral atmosphere in Sylhet has not yet fully gathered momentum. They believe the campaign mood will intensify in about a week.

It is not only in campaigning, more than 50 expatriates were active in seeking party nominations across the 19 constituencies of the Sylhet division. Ultimately, three expatriates secured BNP nominations.

Many candidates are also meeting their campaign expenses with funds provided by expatriates.

In Sylhet’s six constituencies, there are 33 candidates in total. Of these, 17 have stated in their affidavits that part of their election expenses will be met by expatriate relatives and others.

Akhtar Hossain Raju arrived from the UK on 3 January and plans to stay until the election. During his student years, he was involved in politics with Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. He currently holds no party position. He settled in the UK in 2010.

Although he has returned to Bangladesh several times since then, he had never come specifically during an election period. The voter from Sylhet-1 constituency said more than 100 expatriates he knows are actively campaigning in the election.

Akhtar Hossain further said he had voted in a parliamentary election only once in his life, in 2008. He has returned this time to vote after a long gap. All his travel and campaign expenses are being borne personally.

Expatriates said that they had also returned during elections held under the previous Awami League governments. However, at that time, almost all of them were Awami League supporters.

In Sylhet’s six parliamentary constituencies, 17 candidates, including Emran Ahmed, will finance their election campaigns with funds coming from abroad. These funds will be provided by expatriate relatives and well-wishers. This information has emerged from the estimated campaign expenditure statements submitted by candidates along with their affidavits to the returning officers’ offices.

In Sylhet-6 (Beanibazar and Golapganj), BNP candidate Emran Ahmed Chowdhury expects to spend Tk 6.5 million on the election. Of this, Tk 1.5 million will come from his own income. A well-wisher based in France will provide Tk 3.5 million, while Tk 1.5 million will come from two cousins living in France and the UK, and a cousin residing in Bangladesh.

In the same constituency, Jatiya Party (JaPa) candidate Mohammad Abdun Noor will spend Tk 2.5 million, Tk 2.2 million of which will come from donations from expatriate relatives. Independent candidate Fakhrul Islam will spend Tk 2.4 million, of which Tk 2 million will be donated from a brother’s expatriate income.

A certain Azizur Rahman returned from the UK in November ahead of the election. He said he mainly came to campaign for former Sylhet City Corporation mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Azizur Rahman said he is a voter in Sylhet Sadar but is campaigning in Sylhet-4 constituency, comprising Gowainghat, Companiganj and Jaintapur upazilas.

He further said expatriates from Sylhet have a strong attachment to national politics and try to remain physically and financially involved in supporting their preferred candidates. He described this as a tradition of Sylhet.

In Sylhet-3 constituency, BNP candidate MA Malik is a former adviser to the UK chapter of the BNP. He had not visited Bangladesh for 19 years before returning after 5 August 2024.

Sylhet district BNP president Abdul Qaiyum Chowdhury and international affairs secretary MA Salam were also nomination aspirants, but MA Malik ultimately secured the party ticket and is now campaigning.

Helal Uddin returned from the UK to vote in Sylhet Sadar constituency. Identifying himself as a Jamaat supporter, he told Prothom Alo that he returned with the hope that a neutral election would be held in a democratic environment after a long time.

He further said he is spending his own money to support the party candidate and will be voting for the first time in 25 years. Helal Uddin said people want a fair election and will choose deserving candidates.

Apart from this, US expatriate Shawkat Hossain secured BNP nomination in Moulvibazar-2 constituency. He returned to Bangladesh after the July uprising and began working towards the election.

Despite expatriates returning in large numbers to campaign, locals say the election atmosphere in Sylhet has not yet peaked. At Jailkhana intersection in Jindabazar area of Sylhet city, vegetable vendor Alek Mia said occasional campaigning over loudspeakers can be heard and some candidates are asking for votes, but the excitement has not yet fully developed.

Local politicians, however, believe the campaign atmosphere does exist, but it is less visible because posters are prohibited this time. Instead of loudspeaker campaigns and processions, candidates and supporters are focusing on door-to-door canvassing and small courtyard meetings.

Sylhet district BNP president MA Qaiyum Chowdhury, who is coordinating the party’s campaign in all six constituencies, told Prothom Alo that candidates and activists are campaigning relentlessly, often skipping meals.

According to him, the full election atmosphere would emerge within a week.

Jamaat-e-Islami district ameer and Sylhet-1 candidate Habibur Rahman said voters are now more conscious and will vote for deserving candidates.

He said his party is prioritising door-to-door campaigning rather than rallies, and that the election mood will become more visible as polling day approaches.

In both local and national elections, expatriates have traditionally played a significant role in Sunamganj. They do not only come to campaign or vote; they also contribute financially to candidates’ election expenses. Affidavits show that most candidates in Sunamganj are receiving expatriate funds, and in some cases, entire campaign budgets are being financed from abroad.

There are 23 candidates contesting in Sunamganj’s five constituencies—five from the BNP, four from Jamaat-e-Islami, and the rest from other parties and independents.

Expatriates are present across all upazilas, with higher concentrations in Jagannathpur, Shantiganj and Chhatak. In Jagannathpur, expatriate candidates won in five of the eight union parishads in the last local elections.

Sunamganj-3 constituency, comprising Jagannathpur and Shantiganj, has seven candidates, four of whom are expatriates, three based in the UK and one in the US. Expatriates have returned to campaign for these candidates, with more still arriving.

BNP candidate Mohammad Kaysar Ahmed, a former three-term general secretary of UK unit BNP, spent many years in the UK and returned to Bangladesh after the July mass uprising. Many of his relatives are UK expatriates.

Trustees of the Jagannathpur British-Bangla Education Trust, including its founding general secretary Muhib Chowdhury, have also returned to Bangladesh. Kaysar Ahmed is a trustee of the organisation. They held a discussion with him in the constituency on Tuesday. UK unit BNP joint general secretary Sujatur Reza said several hundred activists have returned from abroad to campaign for the party candidate.

Locals said that not only do expatriates return for elections, but many candidates also travel abroad ahead of polls to seek blessings and support from expatriate relatives and voters.

Khelafat Majlis candidate and lawyer Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury recently visited the UK, where many of his relatives live. Most of his campaign expenses will be financed by his UK-based son and siblings.

He said more than 30 UK expatriates have already returned to the country to campaign for him, with another 15 expected on 7 February.

Calling himself “half expatriate”, Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury said expatriates are deeply connected to the country and return not just for votes but out of love for the land and its people.

Khelafat Majlish candidate for Sunamganj-1 constituency, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed is also a UK expatriate.

Expatriates are also active in other Sunamganj constituencies. In Sunamganj-4, former BNP office secretary Jamal Uddin Baker returned from the UK to campaign for BNP candidate Nurul Islam.

Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Mohammad Shishir Monir in Sunamganj-2 said supporters from the UK, the US and other countries have returned to campaign and vote for him. UK expatriate Tahir Raihan Chowdhury is playing a key role in campaigning for BNP candidate Md Nasir Chowdhury.

In Sunamganj-5, expatriate relatives are financing the campaigns of BNP candidate Kalim Uddin Ahmed and Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Abu Tahir Muhammad Abdus Salam. In Sunamganj-1, campaign funds for BNP candidate Kamruzzaman Kamrul and Jamaat candidate Tofayel Ahmed Khan are coming from relatives in the UK, Canada and Kuwait.

MA Qadir, convener of Jagannathpur Upazila Citizens’ Rights Forum and a UK expatriate himself, has returned ahead of the election.

He said expatriates invest their hard-earned money in social, humanitarian and service-oriented activities in their home areas, which makes them popular among local people. As a result, they have influence in elections. They contest, campaign, and help turn elections into a festive occasion.