A major political shift has occurred in the Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency after the cancellation of Engineer Manjurul Ahsan Munshi’s nomination. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has decided to support Jasim Uddin, a leader of the Gano Adhikar Parishad, as the alliance candidate. The announcement was confirmed on Thursday, February 5, by AFM Tarek Munshi, member secretary of BNP’s Cumilla North district unit. Jasim Uddin will contest under the truck symbol against Hasnat Abdullah, the Shaplakoli symbol candidate from the Jamaat-led alliance.

According to Tarek Munshi, BNP has no candidate under the paddy sheaf symbol in Cumilla-4 for the February 12 election, and the central leadership instructed local units to back Jasim Uddin. He said party activists were directed to work for Jasim to strengthen the hand of acting chairman Tarique Rahman. Gano Adhikar Parishad’s central committee member Abu Hanif confirmed BNP’s official endorsement and said their party welcomed the support positively.

The BNP’s decision reshapes the local electoral equation, setting up a direct contest between the BNP-backed Jasim Uddin and Jamaat’s Hasnat Abdullah.