BNP leads nationally, but Jamaat dominates in Khulna division
BNP led nationally, but Jamaat outperforms in Khulna; BNP strongest in Sylhet, weakest in Rangpur
The BNP secured the highest vote share nationally in the 13th parliamentary elections, but regional results tell a different story, with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami outperforming BNP in Khulna division.
In Khulna's 36 parliamentary seats, Jamaat candidates received 48.26% of the votes, compared with 43.55% for BNP.
Out of these seats, Jamaat won 25, while BNP managed 11. More than a third of Jamaat's nationwide wins came from this division.
BNP's weak performance was particularly evident in several districts: Satkhira, Chuadanga, and Meherpur recorded no BNP victories, while Jamaat won in all districts except Magura.
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In Jashore, BNP secured only one seat out of six. Analysts attributed the poor showing to internal discord and lack of coordination, which significantly hampered local campaigning.
District BNP General Secretary Delwar Hossain Khokon acknowledged the party is reviewing the disappointing outcome. "Several nomination decisions were handled poorly, creating dissatisfaction among activists and supporters," he said. "Many leaders denied nominations became inactive during the campaign, which affected organisational efforts."
In Jashore-1 (Sharsha), BNP initially nominated Mofiqul Hasan Tripti, who enjoyed strong grassroots backing, but he was later replaced by Nuruzzaman Liton, prompting many Tripti supporters to withdraw from active campaigning.
A similar situation occurred in Jashore-6 (Keshabpur), where former nominee Rawnakul Islam Shrabon was replaced by Abul Hossain Azad, causing a section of local activists to disengage, while rival candidate Muktar Ali strengthened his outreach.
Observers said that similar internal divisions in other seats contributed to Jamaat's relative advantage in the division.
In the Mymensingh division, Jamaat received 21.85% of votes, while BNP secured 51.60%.
In Rajshahi and Rangpur, Jamaat's vote share was around 40%. Across all eight divisions' 289 seats, Jamaat received 31.99% of votes, BNP 49.6%, and the National Citizens' Party (NCP) 3.08%.
Jamaat's lowest regional shares were in Sylhet (22.62%), Dhaka (22.38%), Barishal (23.46%), and Chattogram (28%), calculated from relevant seats in each division.
BNP performed weakest in Rangpur, with a vote share slightly below 42%, followed by Khulna at 43.55%. Its strongest support came in Sylhet (~60%), based on 10 of 19 seats, followed by Rajshahi (53.88%), Chattogram (52%), Mymensingh (52%), Dhaka (51%), and Barishal (47%).
The division-wise figures underline the varying electoral strength of BNP and Jamaat across the country, with Khulna emerging as a stronghold for Jamaat despite BNP's national lead.
