Five BNP rebels in Rangpur division split votes of party

In the 13th national parliamentary elections, rebel independent candidates from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are contesting in five of the 33 constituencies in the Rangpur division.
In Rangpur-3 (Sadar–partial City Corporation) constituency, BNP central committee member Rita Rahman is contesting as a rebel candidate. She is the daughter of former minister and BNP co-founder Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia and previously contested the seat on a BNP ticket in 2018, securing 53,089 votes, the highest BNP vote count in the constituency over the past 40 years.
Rita Rahman said, “The party made a mistake by not nominating me due to a financial syndicate surrounding the Teesta project. I promised to stand by the people, and this election is my protest.”
In this seat, BNP nominee Md Shamsuzzaman Samur and Jatiya Party Chairman Golam Mohammad Quader are facing competition from Jamaat candidate Md Mahbubur Rahman (Belal) and alongside several other party and independent candidates.
In Gaibandha-5 (Phulchhari–Saghat), BNP rebel independent candidate Nahiduzzaman Nishad, vice-president of Gaibandha district BNP, entered the contest after failing to secure a party nomination and is reportedly benefiting from strong grassroots support and welfare activities. BNP’s nominated candidate here is Md Faruk Alam Sarkar, also a district BNP vice-president, who received 19,996 votes in the 2018 election.
Nishad said, “The election result will show whether BNP made the right decision or made a mistake by denying me the nomination.”
In Dinajpur-5 (Parbatipur–Phulbari), BNP rebel independent candidate AZM Rezwanul Haque is the president of Parbatipur Upazila BNP and a former two-time convener of Dinajpur district BNP. In the 2018 election, he secured around 152,000 votes, placing second nationwide among BNP candidates. He is contesting against BNP nominee AKM Kamruzzaman, a London expatriate with limited local political influence.
Rezwanul Haque said the party failed to properly evaluate his long-standing contributions. “I have organised BNP here for 40 years. Even after being expelled, grassroots leaders and voters stood by me. The party must value grassroots opinion,” he said.
In Dinajpur-2 (Bochaganj–Birol), Anam Bazlur Rashid, former Birol Upazila chairman and district BNP vice-president, is contesting as a rebel candidate. According to locals, Jamaat candidate AKM Afzalul Anam may take lead, with BNP nominee Sadiq Riaz facing a tough challenge amid vote division.
Meanwhile, Mahmud Hossain Sumon is contesting as a BNP rebel candidate in Panchagarh-2 (Boda–Debiganj). The BNP candidate in the seat is Farhad Hossain Azad, while Jamaat’s Shafiul Alam is considered a strong contender.
Although BNP has expelled four rebel candidates from Gaibandha, Dinajpur, and Panchagarh, no action has been taken against Rita Rahman in Rangpur-3.
Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan) Rangpur district President Fakhrul Anam Benju said, “BNP handled nominations firmly despite high demand. He noted that only two of the five rebel-held seats pose serious challenges to the party’s prospects.”
Rangpur Range DIG Aminul Islam said there are 4,546 polling centres across the division, of which 827 are marked as high-risk, 1,734 as risky, and 1,985 as general. “Adequate security measures have been taken to ensure smooth voting and counting in a festive atmosphere,” he said.
Rangpur Divisional Commissioner Shahidul Islam said the division comprises 33 constituencies across eight districts, with 14,035,849 voters. Of them, 6,999,130 are male, 7,036,587 are female, and 132 are transgender voters. He added that all preparations have been completed to ensure a fair, participatory, and neutral election.