Analysts point to Jamaat’s rising influence in economically backward rural areas, many of which lie along India border & have seen communal tensions & citizenship rows in recent years.
The country’s largest Islamist party, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has emerged as a strong opposition, winning as many as 68 seats. This is a threat to BNP.
For decades, Jamaat’s branches moved along the edges of power in South Asia—ideologically influential, but never dominant at the ballot box. With the outcome in Bangladesh, that has now changed.
In post-Hasina era, the BNP’s rise has been meteoric. Once centre-right nationalist party is now steering towards centre-left politics, to capture void left by Awami League ban.
Things may not change overnight. The 2001-06 period, when the Jamaat was a coalition partner in a BNP-led government, was one of the worst for the India-Bangladesh relationship.
BNP claims Mohibuzzaman Kachi received fatal head injuries as he was pushed by Jamaat-e-Islami supporters when he tried to stop them from committing 'irregularities' at a booth.
For decades, an unwritten political equation has shaped Bangladesh’s electoral landscape: the party that secures a majority in the capital, Dhaka, often goes on to form the government.
Topics like India, Bangladesh’s foreign policy, women’s rights, and even the sticky issue of minorities were touched upon. One press conference was smoothly organised, other was chaos.
IAF is firming up plans to revamp airlift capabilities with medium transport aircraft that will be assembled in India & serve as its main workhorse. Embraer is leading contender as of now.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
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