SYLHET, Jan 18 (V7N) — The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has completed its candidate selection for 19 constituencies in Sylhet Division, ahead of the upcoming national parliamentary elections. Under the coalition agreement of the 10-party alliance, Jamaat will contest 10 seats, while the remaining nine have been allocated to other allied parties. However, the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) has not been allocated any seats in Sylhet Division, although it has been given 30 seats nationwide.

The Sunamganj-3 seat has been left open for all parties. Additionally, with the Islamic Movement Bangladesh announcing independent participation, Jamaat may also contest Sunamganj-1 and Habiganj-3, potentially increasing their candidates in the division to 12.

On Thursday evening (Jan 15), at a press conference held at the Muktijoddha Hall of the Diploma Engineers Institute in Dhaka, Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Naib-e-Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, announced candidates for 253 constituencies nationwide. He stated that Jamaat would contest a total of 179 seats based on coalition agreements. Although a full constituency-wise list was not officially released, party sources confirmed the candidates for Sylhet Division.

Jamaat-e-Islami candidates in Sylhet Division include: Maulana Habibur Rahman (Sylhet-1), Maulana Lokman Ahmed (Sylhet-3), Md. Zainal Abedin (Sylhet-4), Md. Selim Uddin (Sylhet-6), Md. Shishir Monir (Sunamganj-2), Md. Shams Uddin (Sunamganj-4), Abdus Salam Madani (Sunamganj-5), Md. Aminul Islam (Moulvibazar-1), Md. Saeed Ali (Moulvibazar-2), and Md. Shahjahan Ali (Habiganj-1).

Khelafat Majlish has been allocated five seats in the division, including Sylhet-2 (Muhammad Muntachir Ali), Sylhet-5 (Mufti Abul Hasan), Moulvibazar-3 (Muhammad Lutfur Rahman Kamali), Habiganj-2 (Maulana Abdul Basit Azad), and Habiganj-4 (Ahmad Abdul Qader). Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish has one seat, Moulvibazar-4 (Sheikh Nure Alam Hamidi), and Sunamganj-3 remains open, with competition between Jamaat’s Yasin Khan, AB Party’s Syed Talha Alam, and Khelafat Majlish’s Hafiz Sheikh Moshtaq Ahmad.

Following Islamic Movement Bangladesh’s decision to contest independently, Jamaat will select alternative candidates for two seats in Sylhet Division previously reserved for the party: Sunamganj-1 (Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury) and Habiganj-3 (Mohib Uddin Ahmed Suhel).

In total, Jamaat-e-Islami will contest 179 seats nationwide. Other coalition partners will contest as follows: NCP – 30 seats, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish – 20, Khelafat Majlish – 10, AB Party – 3, LDP – 7, BDP – 2, and Nezam-e-Islam Party – 2. Seats for three other allied parties are yet to be announced.

Political analysts note that the seat allocation in Sylhet considers Jamaat’s strong position in the division and the influence of expatriate voters. The exclusion of NCP from Sylhet Division has also sparked discussion among political observers. With Islamic Movement Bangladesh contesting independently in 47 seats, the coalition is now in the process of selecting alternative candidates for those constituencies.

The finalized candidate list and seat distribution highlight Jamaat-e-Islami’s strategic approach to maximizing influence in Sylhet Division while accommodating allied parties within the 10-party coalition framework.

END/RIM/SMA/