Disillusioned with mainstream parties, Bangladeshi Hindus seek new political voice

As Bangladesh heads into a historic election on Thursday, the minority Hindu community is anxious. They say they feel let down by both mainstream parties -- the Awami League and BNP -- and the return of Jamaat to mainstream politics has left them even more unsettled.

India Today met a group of Hindu citizens in Dhaka to hear their views. Hindu men and women alike fear the prospect of a Jamaat-led government seeking to impose Islamic Sharia law in Bangladesh. While there has been some representation for Hindus in the Awami League and BNP, many feel it has been tokenistic, with little real progress for the community.

The general consensus being --- Hindus form a significant votebank, one that plays a deciding factor for several seats. Thus, all parties have been vying for their support historically, but none have made any serious effort to address their needs.

Prosenjit Kumar Haldar, associated with the "Sanatani Adhikar Andolan/Bangladesh United Sanatani Awakening Alliance," which leads efforts to mobilise Bangladeshi Hindus, said a proposal to form a new political party was floated and an application submitted to the Election Commission, but it has yet to progress..

“We are not okay. We have been moved around like chess pieces, especially after Sheikh Hasina formally stepped down on August 5, 2024. We met Muhammad Yunus after he took over and conveyed the atrocities we were facing. He told us we are not independent yet. We thought we would get the same citizenship rights as others. Every time, we receive the same assurances. We have just turned into a vote bank for these parties,” Haldar told India Today TV at the iconic Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka on the eve of the elections.

Another member of the group alleged that mainstream parties offer promises of safety and financial security to minorities and Sanatanis during election season, but these assurances rarely translate into action. He claimed there is negligible Hindu representation in ministries, top official positions, the bureaucracy, courts, or among leading lawyers. Dismissing outreach efforts by the Jamaat Ameer ahead of the polls, he said meaningful representation would have been visible if such promises were sincere.

A woman in the group spoke about everyday fears, saying that women who work outside their homes constantly worry about whether to wear sindoor on their way to work or conceal their identity, as fear continues to loom large.

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