'India must back Hindus': New minority party targets Hindu vote, tells New Delhi to rethink Awami League support

The newly registered Bangladesh Minority Janta Party says it will contest 91 seats and is seeking alliances to help minority voters turn out

A newly registered political outfit, the Bangladesh Minority Janta Party (BMJP), plans to contest 91 of 300 seats in Bangladesh’s national parliament and is seeking alliances with mainstream parties to mobilise minority voters ahead of the February polls, according to a report by Times of India.

BMJP president Sukriti Kumar Mandal told Times of India that the party is targeting constituencies where the minority vote share, especially the Hindu vote-bank, ranges from 20 percent to 60 percent, and claims it could win 40 to 45 seats.

What BMJP is planning

Mandal told Times of India that BMJP candidates would be finalised within “a day or two” and that nominations would be filed by Saturday, ahead of a Monday deadline.

He said an alliance with mainstream parties, including Tarique Rahman’s BNP or Jamaat-e-Islami, could help minorities vote without fear of retaliation, Times of India reported.

The party’s pitch on minority safety and turnout

Mandal told Times of India that minorities need to feel safe to come out and vote, and that the Awami League was “off the radar,” while BMJP would be the “only voice” of persecuted Hindus.

Original angle: In a country where minority-focused parties have historically struggled to convert community anxieties into seat-level wins, BMJP’s strategy is explicitly transactional: it is not just asking minorities for votes; it is asking larger parties for alliance cover to make turnout possible. That makes the tie-up negotiations, not just the manifesto, the real test of whether BMJP is a serious electoral force or a signalling vehicle.

What BMJP wants from India

Mandal told Times of India that India should shift its stance on Bangladesh and support the “cause of Hindus” rather than backing the Awami League.

“If India shifts from its pro–Awami League stand, mainstream Bangladesh parties will sit up and take note,” he told Times of India, adding that such a shift could alter Bangladeshi attitudes towards India.

Agenda points and claims in the vision document

Times of India reported that BMJP has shared a five-point agenda that includes:

• working towards a secular Bangladesh,
• a federal system by carving out five provinces, and
• fundamental and constitutional rights for each state.

It also proposes changes in textbooks with a secular and scientific approach, along with measures to ensure fair rights for minorities, the report said.

Mandal also cited the “Enemy Property Act” in alleging land loss and intimidation of Hindus, and said 2.5 crore Hindus in Bangladesh are “there to stay,” arguing that remaining in the mainstream could be a solution, according to Times of India.