Staff Reporter
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has finalized candidates for all four parliamentary constituencies in Bagerhat district, but the nominations of two former Awami League leaders have triggered strong resentment among grassroots BNP leaders and activists.
The controversy centers on BNP’s nominees for Bagerhat-1 (Fakirhat–Mollahat–Chitalmari) and Bagerhat-4 (Sharankhola–Morrelganj) constituencies—Kapil Krishna Mondal and Somanath Dey, respectively. Both were previously associated with Awami League politics, according to local political leaders from both parties. The issue has ignited widespread debate and criticism, from social media platforms to tea stalls across the district.Kapil Krishna Mondal, nominated in Bagerhat-1, is the General Secretary of the Matua Bahujan Samaj Oikya Jote and also serves as the General Secretary of the Bangladesh chapter of the World Hindu Council (VHP), as well as President of the Bangladesh Ashwini Seva Ashram. Local leaders claim he previously held the position of Vice President of the Chitalmari Upazila’s Kalatala Union Awami League. Mondal, however, has denied any formal affiliation with Awami League politics.Somanath Dey, nominated in Bagerhat-4, is the President of the Matua Bahujan Samaj Oikya Jote and a former President of the VHP Bangladesh chapter. He has also served as a member of the Morrelganj Upazila Awami League executive committee and was previously involved with the Jatiya Party. He contested an election from Bagerhat-4 as a Jatiya Party candidate and served as a minority affairs adviser to the late former president Hussain Muhammad Ershad.
Both nominees were arrested earlier this year in separate cases—Mondal in March on allegations of anti-state conspiracy, and Dey in another criminal case. They were later released on bail. On August 20, they formally joined the BNP after meeting the party’s Secretary General, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, as part of a delegation representing members of the Hindu community The nominations have drawn sharp criticism from local BNP leaders and supporters. Molla Raju Ahmed, a BNP activist from Chitalmari, wrote on Facebook that he felt “helpless,” stating that despite many loyal and tested BNP leaders in the constituency who had resisted Awami League figures for years, the party leadership had ignored them in favor of outsiders.
Another BNP supporter, Shimol Hossain, said, “I spent 17 years on the streets and barely slept. Now those who flew in at the last moment are taking everything.”Responding to the criticism, ATM Akram Hossain (Talim), Convenor of the Bagerhat District BNP, said the nominations were decisions of the central leadership. “Local leaders are heartbroken. After years of repression and sacrifice, seeing people from other parties receive nominations has caused deep frustration. We have conveyed these sentiments to the central leadership through proper channels,” he said.
Former district BNP president MA Salam was even more outspoken, saying, “These were Awami League office-holders. How can grassroots activists accept this? If the party wanted to nominate someone from the Hindu community, there are many capable and loyal Hindu leaders within the BNP itself. The workers are genuinely disappointed.”Kapil Krishna Mondal rejected the allegations against him, stating that he had never been formally involved in any political party before joining the BNP. He said his interactions with ministers and MPs were solely related to advocacy for persecuted Hindus as a temple leader, and that photos from such meetings were now being used to “conspire” against him. He also claimed that allegations regarding his Awami League post were baseless and that his legal cases were politically motivated, noting that the High Court had recently disposed of a rule in his favor.Somanath Dey defended his nomination by saying that those criticizing him were “extortionists and oppressors” who felt threatened. “I have been involved in Jatiya Party and Awami League politics, and I have gone to jail after August 5. I still face three cases. Knowing all this, the party’s acting chairman and top leadership nominated me,” he said.
Meanwhile, BNP has nominated Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, a member of the district BNP convening committee, for Bagerhat-2 (Sadar–Kachua), and Sheikh Faridul Islam, joint convenor of the district BNP, for Bagerhat-3 (Mongla–Rampal).
Torch Procession Demanding Candidate Change
Dissatisfaction also surfaced in Bagerhat-2, where a faction of local BNP leaders and activists organized a torch procession on Sunday evening around 7:00 pm from the Central Shaheed Minar in Bagerhat town, demanding a change in the party’s nominee.
Leaders and activists from BNP, Chhatra Dal, Jubo Dal, and Sramik Dal participated in the procession. Protesters demanded the nomination of former district BNP president MA Salam, warning that they would boycott polling centers if their demand was not met.
