Is Jamaat softening anti-India stance ahead of Bangladesh polls?

As countdown began for Bangladesh Elections on February 12, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate from Dhaka-14 constituency has agreed that Hindus have been subjected to persecution but expressed confidence that Hindu voters will support them. Jamaat candidate Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman, also said that India and Bangladesh are indispensable for each other. Pitching for a “modern Bangladesh”, the Jamaat leader said that people of the country wants change and that is what his party is promising.

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Jamaat candidate Arman made the remarks while speaking to NDTV. "India and Bangladesh are indispensable for each other, and we have to work together," he said. This is seen as a major U-turn by Jamaat as it has historically been pro-Pakistan positions. When asked about the support by Hindu voters who have faced violence, Arman said, "We are promising change, and whoever wants change will rally behind us, irrespective of race, religion and gender. I believe Hindus have been subjected to persecution historically, and I believe they also want change, and because of this demand for change, we will get their support."

Jamaat's position in upcoming polls

Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) has entered electoral politics in this year's elections after being banned for years by Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League. With Awami League banned in the elections and Hasina ousted, Jamaat is expected to register its “best-ever electoral performance.” Major surveys projected the party to win around 30-40% votes and approximately 105 seats. Jamaat has stitched an alliance with 11 parties including the National Citizen Party (NCP) that finds its beginning in the 2024 uprising against Hasina. Notably, Jamaat alliance enjoys the support of Gen Z voters. Its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir rceently won student union elections at the Dhaka University.

The party has attempted rebranding itself by positioning it as a party who supports change and has even nominated its first-ever Hindu candidate. However, it faces major scrutiny due to its past stance during the 1971 independence war. Moreover, though the party's manifesto promises to include a "significant number of women" in the cabinet, it has not fielded a single female candidate for any of the 300 parliamentary seats in this election.

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Bangladesh Polls

This come ahead of elections in Bangladesh scheduled on February 12, 2026. This marks the first general election since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. It will replace the interim administration of Muhammad Yunus. The election has evolved into a bipolar contest between Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) coalition. BNP leader Tarique Rahman, son of late former PM Khaleda Zia is being seen as the frontrunner. He returned from 17 years of exile, after which his party is leading most major opinion polls.