Minority Hindu leader Gayeswar Roy wins Dhaka-3, BNP to return to power after two decades

Dhaka. Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election has seen a significant political development. Senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Gayeswar Chandra Roy, who belongs to the minority Hindu community, has won a landslide victory in the Dhaka-3 parliamentary seat. According to the state news agency, Roy secured 99,163 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Mohammad Shahinur Islam, a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate. This victory marks the first Hindu MP elected from Dhaka since independence in 1971.

Roy’s victory comes at a time when reports of alleged attacks and harassment against the Hindu minority community have surfaced in the country. The killing of radical youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December sparked tensions in several areas. India has also aMinority Hindu leader Gayeswar Roy wins Dhaka-3, BNP to return to power after two decadesexpressed concern about the safety of minorities in Bangladesh, particularly the Hindu community. In such a scenario, the victory of a Hindu leader from the capital region is considered politically and socially significant.

Meanwhile, Krishna Nandy, the only Hindu candidate fielded by the Jamaat-e-Islami, lost the Khulna-1 seat. Nandy secured 70,346 votes, while BNP candidate Amir Ejaz Khan secured a clear victory with 121,352 votes.

It should be noted that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a landslide victory in the elections held in Bangladesh after 18 months of intense power struggles. According to the latest vote count, the BNP secured a two-thirds majority, while the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition has so far secured only 73 seats.

Bangladesh’s parliament, known as the Jatiya Sangsad, has a total of 300 seats. Voting took place for 299 of these seats. The election in the Sherpur-3 constituency was cancelled due to the death of a candidate. A majority requires 150 seats. Additionally, 50 seats are reserved for women. These seats are allocated based on the parties’ performance in the 300 general seats.