The 13th Parliament (Ethnic Parliament) elections are to be held in Bangladesh tomorrow i.e. on 12 February 2026. The security and political participation of minority communities, especially Hindus, has become a big issue in this election. Incidents of attacks and violence on Hindus are happening daily in the country, but this time 80 minority candidates are contesting the elections. Two of these Hindu faces are much discussed, Krishna Nandi and Gobinda Chandra Pramanik. Both of them are contesting elections from different paths and are trying to strengthen the voice of the Hindu community.

10 women included among minority candidates

Of the total 80 minority candidates, 68 have been given tickets by 22 political parties, while 12 are independent. 10 women are also included in these. Bangladesh Communist Party (CPB) has fielded maximum 17 minority candidates. BNP has given 6 minority candidates, namely Gayeshwar Chandra Roy (Dhaka-3), Nitai Roy Chowdhury (Magura-2), Kapil Krishna Mandal (Bagerhat-1), Somnath De (Bagerhat-4), Dipen Dewan (Rangamati) and Sachin Pru (Bandarban). But most of the attention is on Krishna and Gobinda.

Who is Jamaat’s candidate Krishna Nandi?

Krishna Nandy is a Hindu businessman and has been associated with Jamaat-e-Islami since 2003. He is contesting from Khulna-1 seat on Jamaat ticket. This seat covers Hindu dominated areas of Dakop and Batiyaghata. Jamaat-e-Islami is a fundamentalist Islamic party. For the first time in its history, this party has given ticket to a minority. Krishna Nandi is also the president of the Hindu committee of the Jamaat in Dumuria upazila. He said at a rally that if his party came to power, Hindus would get treatment like ‘our brothers and sisters’. This statement is important because Jamaat has often been accused of being anti-Hindu. His candidature is being considered as Jamaat’s strategy to increase its reach to the minority community. There are a total of 8 minority candidates in Khulna-1, which also includes people from the Communist Party and other parties.

Who is independent candidate Gobinda?

Gobinda Chandra Pramanik is the general secretary of Bangladesh National Hindu Mahajot. He is an independent candidate from Gopalganj-3. This seat is close to the birthplace of Sheikh Hasina, which includes Kotalipara and Tungipara. The total voters here are about 3.08 lakh and about 80 percent are minorities. Gobinda’s nomination was initially rejected, but was reinstated after appealing to the Election Commission. He has been working for a long time for the security and rights of the Hindu community. Gobinda said that security is the biggest challenge on the day of voting. His independent fight shows the strength of Hindu Mahajot, a Hindu political organisation.

Why are 2026 elections special for Bangladesh?

This election is special because former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League has been prevented from contesting the elections. His registration is suspended and his activities are restricted. A total of 60 parties are in the elections. The Hindu community, which constitutes 8-9 percent of the country’s population, is facing violence on a daily basis. In such a situation, these two candidates raise hopes for minority representation. Krishna Nandi’s association with the Jamaat and Gobinda’s independent fight both show different paths. One a compromise with a staunch party, the other an independent voice. Meanwhile, the election campaign has ended yesterday morning. Voting will take place tomorrow and the results will come on the same day. There is concern in the Hindu community that violence may increase, but these candidates show that minorities are becoming active in politics.

Gobinda Chandra Pramanik: Amidst the continuous atrocities on minorities in Bangladesh, a Hindu leader Gobind Chandra Pramanik is trying to win the public trust from the parliamentary seat of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the upcoming national elections.

General Secretary of the Central Committee of Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote and senior advocate Gobind Chandra Pramanik is preparing to file nomination as an independent candidate from Gopalganj 3 (Kotalipada-Tungipada) seat in the elections to be held on February 12.

Nomination will be done on 28th December

According to the report of The Daily Star, he will file his nomination papers on December 28. Gobind Chandra Pramanik says that neither he has any connection with any political party nor has he ever been active in party politics. He said, “MPs elected from political parties are often unable to raise the problems of common people due to party discipline. I want to break this limitation and become the voice of the people.”

Other candidates for Hasina’s seat
Other prominent candidates for Hasina’s seat include BNP’s SM Jilani, National Citizen Party (NCP)’s Ariful Dariya, Jamaat-e-Islami’s MM Rezaul Karim, Gana Adhikar Parishad’s Abul Bashar, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Maroof Sheikh, National People’s Party’s Sheikh Salauddin, Khilafat Majlis’s Oli Ahmed, and independent candidates Mohammad Habibur Rahman and Mohammad Anwar Hussain.

Increase in violence against minorities

After the departure of Sheikh Hasina last year, there was a power vacuum in Bangladesh, which radical groups took advantage of. This was followed by a surge in violence against minorities in Bangladesh, including Hindu, Christian, Sufi and Ahmadiyya Muslim communities. These groups sought to justify attacks on minorities by exploiting rising anti-India sentiment and pushing a radical Islamic agenda under the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus. At a meeting organized by the Minority Unity Front outside Dhaka’s Jatiya Press Club, minority leaders said inadequate investigation and lack of justice had created an atmosphere of fear and distrust in the country.