In Cumilla’s Debidwar upazila, around 200 suspended Awami League leaders and activists formally joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at the residence of Manjurul Hasan Munshi, BNP’s candidate for Cumilla-4 and former district president. The mass defection, held on Sunday, has sparked widespread criticism across political circles, with many describing it as a controversial act of political rehabilitation.

Leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP), and even several BNP grassroots members voiced disapproval, arguing that those accused of past political repression should not be accepted into the opposition. NCP’s southern region organizer Hasnat Abdullah called the move “a naked attempt at power politics,” while Cumilla BNP’s member-secretary AFM Tarek Munshi labeled it “embarrassing” for the party. BNP candidate Munshi did not respond to calls for comment.

The incident underscores growing unease within the opposition alliance ahead of the next election, raising questions about candidate selection, internal discipline, and the party’s broader strategy to expand its support base in key constituencies.