Krishna Nandi has caught everyone's attention ahead of the elections in Bangladesh, as the Hindu businessman is contesting from the Khulna-1 constituency for Jamaat-e-Islami. A confidant of the Secretary-General of Jamaat-e-Islami, Mia Golam Parwar, Krishna Nandi says the Islamist organisation can represent all sections of society, including minority groups.
According to Reuters, analysts say a decisive result in the 12 February vote—rather than a fractured outcome—is vital for restoring stability in the nation of 175 million after Sheikh Hasina's ouster triggered months of unrest and disrupted major industries, including the garments sector in the world’s second-largest exporter.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is widely expected to win, although a coalition led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami is putting up a strong challenge. A new party driven by Gen-Z activists under the age of 30 has aligned with Jamaat after failing to translate its anti-Hasina street mobilisation into an electoral base. BNP chief Tarique Rahman told Reuters his party, which is contesting 292 of the 300 parliamentary seats at stake, was confident of winning "enough to form a government".
Who is Krishna Nandi?
Krishna Nandi is a seasoned businessman involved in the sale of rods, cement, motorcycles, fertiliser, tin, oil, and sugar, Prothom Alo said in a report. Nandi's association with Jamaat started in 2003 through Mia Golam Parwar, the report added. He has been running his business branches successfully for forty years.
He is a native of the Khulna-5 constituency, which covers the Dumuria and Phultala upazilas in Khulna district. Interestingly, this is the seat from which Golam Parwar is contesting. Nandi said that since the senior leader was fielded from the seat where he is registered to vote, the party decided he should contest from Khulna-1 instead.
When asked about his relationship with the Jamaat leader, he reportedly said: "I like his ideology. He brought me into politics. My relationship with him is political. It is not a personal relationship."
"I will go to Parliament and speak for Hindus. That's why I'm running for office," Krishna Nandi was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo during an interview. Jamaat-e-Islami is a party of principles and ideals and has stood by the side of the Bangladeshi public irrespective of their religion during the difficult period that followed the ousting of the Hasina regime, he said.