Speculation rises over EC favouring anti-India voices in Bangladesh polls

DHAKA: Speculation over whether the administration is favouring anti-India voices in parliamentary polls intensified after Election Commission (EC) Saturday cancelled the candidacy of BNP's Monzurul Ahsan Munshi while upholding that of National Citizen Party (NCP) candidate Abul Hasnat for the Cumilla-4 constituency.

Hasnat is a frontline leader of the July Uprising that led to the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led govt on Aug 5, 2024. He is among a small group of former student leaders widely seen as having contributed to the deterioration of Dhaka-Delhi relations. The decision followed hearings conducted by EC, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, on appeal petitions filed by both candidates against each other.




Bangladesh is scheduled to hold its national elections on Feb 12, which will not see the participation of Sheikh Hasina's party, Bangladesh Awami League, and its allies. If the BNP candidate challenges the EC decision in the high court and the cancellation order is upheld, Hasnat would face no major rival in the constituency, effectively ensuring his victory. Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP are part of an alliance opposing BNP.

The EC accepted Hasnat's appeal and cancelled Monzurul Ahsan Munshi's candidature, while rejecting Munshi's appeal and declaring Hasnat's nomination valid for the election.

In his petition, Munshi alleged that Hasnat had failed to properly disclose his sources of income in the affidavit submitted with his nomination papers. In response, Hasnat claimed that Munshi is a loan defaulter who had concealed this information in his own nomination documents.