3,000 Awami League leaders, activists join BNP in Shariatpur

Over the past one and a half months, at least 3,000 leaders and activists of the Awami League in Shariatpur have officially joined the BNP, with thousands more extending their support.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, several party leaders went into hiding, and many became entangled in legal cases. Currently, the party's activities remain banned. Awami League leaders say they are leaning toward the BNP to avoid harassment and legal troubles and to remain in their local areas.

Shariatpur district has a total of 1,150,710 voters and 21 candidates are contesting in the upcoming national election in three constituencies.

Fazlur Rahman, an Awami League leader, said, "Our party activities are banned, and there is no directive from the party regarding elections."Considering local peace and our social security, we have decided to support the BNP candidate here. We will return to party politics when normalcy is restored."

Awami League leader Yunus Ali Molla said, "I joined the BNP for the sake of local development." A senior Awami League leader from Naria, speaking on condition of anonymity, added, "Many leaders here are facing legal cases or are in jail. We joined the BNP to avoid harassment. Once the situation stabilises, we plan to return to Awami League politics."

BNP leaders say they are involving Awami League to encourage broader participation and ensure higher voter turnout.