Only 80 Hindu candidates in Bangladesh’s elections !

Dhaka (Bangladesh) – Bangladesh is holding its general election on 12th February. According to available information, in a country with a population of more than approximately 170 million, a total of 80 Hindu candidates are contesting in this election. Of these, 12 are independent candidates, while 68 represent various political parties. Among them are 10 women candidates. Considering the country’s total population and the size of its minority population, this number is extremely low.

Bangladesh Election 2026
⚠️ Representation Crisis in Bangladesh 🇧🇩🗳️

As the Feb 12th elections approach, the Hindu minority faces a double challenge:
1️⃣ The Numbers: Only 80 Hindu candidates are in the fray for a population of 170M+ (just 10 are women).

2️⃣ The Fatwas:… https://t.co/yQ5gqX7ajy pic.twitter.com/lup9brCRno

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) January 24, 2026

1. According to data from the Bangladesh Election Commission, 88 candidates from minority communities had filed their nominations. Of these, the nomination papers of 5 candidates were rejected, while 3 later withdrew. As a result, 80 candidates are currently contesting the election. At present, 60 political parties are registered with the Election Commission. The registration of the ruling Awami League has been suspended and restrictions have been imposed on its activities.

2. In this election, a total of 22 political parties including the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, have fielded candidates from minority communities. Leftist parties have fielded the highest number of minority candidates. The Bangladesh Communist Party has given tickets to 17 minority candidates, which is the highest number by any party.

3. Nirmal Rosario, Joint President of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, stated that if minority communities are unable to actively participate in political decision-making and influence election outcomes, then full protection of their rights, development, and existence will not be possible. He emphasized the need for minorities to play a more active role in electoral politics and democratic processes.

4. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has given candidacies to 6 candidates from minority communities. This includes 2 senior party leaders. Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy is contesting from Dhaka-3, while Vice President Nitai Roy Chowdhury is contesting from Magura-2. Kapil Krishna Mandal is contesting from Bagerhat-1, Somnath Dey from Bagerhat-4, Dipen Diwan from Rangamati and Sachhing Prayoo from Bandarban.

5. For the first time in the history of national elections, Jamaat-e-Islami has given a candidacy to a candidate from a minority community. Krishna Nandi is contesting from the Khulna-1 constituency. This constituency includes the Hindu-majority sub-districts of Dakop and Batiaghata. Krishna Nandi is a resident of Chuknagar in Dumuria sub-district of Khulna district and is the President of the Dumuria sub-district Jamaat Hindu Committee. Khulna-1 has drawn special attention this year, as a total of 8 minority candidates are contesting the election here. These include candidates from Jamaat, the Communist Party, and 6 political parties in total, along with 2 independent candidates from the same community.