Jamaat, though well-organized, cannot win elections: Mirza Fakhrul

After the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is now BNP’s main rival in the political arena. Jamaat has long been an ally of the party against BNP’s stance on reforms, the July Charter and the electoral system. Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has commented that Jamaat, despite coming into the limelight since the July uprising, has not been able to make much of an impact on the public. At the same time, he also claimed that even if the party is well-organized, it is not possible for them to win the elections.
Mirza Fakhrul said these things while talking to Bangladeshi journalists in New York last Friday (September 26) local time.
The BNP Secretary General believes that Jamaat is now in an advantageous position as the ousted Awami League’s political activities are banned and the Jatiya Party is also in almost the same situation.
He said that Jamaat has come to the limelight anyway. They are trying to reach a place through media and organizational activities and they will do that.
However, Mirza Fakhrul does not think that Jamaat has increased its influence among the people. According to him, ‘I do field politics myself, I travel, I understand, (the influence) is not very much.’ The BNP Secretary General mentioned that Jamaat is well-organized and this is their plus point. He said that the advantage of Jamaat is that they are a very organized, well-organized political party. They also have adequate funds. This is a plus point for them. However, I do not think that they will completely win the election by going to the people.
Mirza Fakhrul also believes that like other countries in the world, there is an attempt to rise right-wing politics in Bangladesh. He further clarified that Bangladesh is not isolated from the trend of world politics. However, he believes that this attempt will not be successful in the voting field.
Mirza Fakhrul also said that the acting chairman of the party, Tarique Rahman, will return to the country on time.