A claim circulating on social media that the BJP has won a seat in Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections has triggered widespread confusion. However, the party in question is not linked to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, but refers instead to Bangladesh’s own political outfit, the Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), which shares the same acronym.
The misunderstanding gained traction online, with several users mistakenly assuming that India’s ruling party had secured representation in Bangladesh’s Parliament.
Bangladesh’s 13th Parliamentary Elections: Political Context
The elections held on Thursday saw the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, emerge as the single largest party.
The BNP won 209 out of 297 seats, marking its return to power after nearly two decades. Its principal rival, Jamaat-e-Islami, secured 68 seats.
The Bangladesh Jatiya Party secured one parliamentary seat in the election. Its chairman, Andaleeve Rahman Partho, won from the Bhola-1 (Sadar) constituency in the Barisal division.
Partho won the seat for a second time, defeating Nazrul Islam of the Jamaat-e-Islami by a margin of nearly 30,000 votes.
Along with other BNP allies, the BJP collectively secured four seats, taking the alliance tally to 212.
Who Is Andaleeve Rahman Partho?
Born on April 20, 1974, Partho is considered among the younger generation of Bangladesh’s political leaders. He first rose to prominence in 2008 after winning the Bhola-1 seat, becoming the country’s youngest opposition leader and Member of Parliament at the time.
His father, Naziur Rahaman Manzur, was a freedom fighter who played a key role during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. Manzur later served as a minister and mayor of Dhaka and founded the Bangladesh Jatiya Party in 2001 after splitting from the Jatiya Party.
Partho grew up in Dhanmondi and later moved to London to pursue an LLB degree. He assumed leadership of the party after his father’s death in 2008.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
