Jamaat Sweeps Bangladesh’s Areas Bordering Bengal: What It Means For India | Exclusive

Last Updated:February 13, 2026, 13:00 IST

Satkhira, Kushtia, parts of Khulna belt of West Bengal facing border and the Rangpur region have emerged as Jamaat’s strongest clusters. A look at intel assessment of the results

Even as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, claimed victory in Bangladesh’s first election since the 2024 uprising, the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami have registered a win in the areas bordering West Bengal.

According to agencies’ assessment accessed by News18, it is being viewed as a threat escalation, where ideology, recruitment, and logistics mature slowly before any kinetic action.

The areas where Jamaat emerged victorious

The BNP has swept Sylhet, Chittagong, and Mymensingh. These regions are known for stronger urbanisation, trade exposure, and diaspora remittance influence.

Satkhira, Kushtia, parts of Khulna belt of West Bengal facing border and the Rangpur region have emerged as Jamaat’s strongest clusters. Satkhira, Kushtia and Rangpur together form a continuous arc facing West Bengal, Assam and the Siliguri corridor.

The Jamaat-e-Islami said it had “serious questions about the integrity of the results process." “We express our sincere gratitude to you for casting your votes in large numbers throughout the day in such a positive and peaceful atmosphere," said Jamaat-e-Islami in a statement.

“However, we are not satisfied with the process surrounding the election results. From candidates of the 11-party alliance narrowly and suspiciously losing in various constituencies, to repeated inconsistencies and fabrications in unofficial result announcements, the Election Commission’s reluctance to publish voter turnout percentages, and indications that a section of the administration leaned towards a major party- all of this undoubtedly raises serious questions about the integrity of the results process," it added.

What it means for India

“These are not urban protest votes but deep rural, mosque and madrasa networks with long violence memories. As Jamaat gains influence locally, Hindu minorities in border districts will feel the pressure first. They will be in trap of land disputes, intimidation and silent displacement," according to the assessment.

In case of border states, even small migration waves into India could amplify communal polarisation and political stress, it states.

“The border districts are historically exploited for movement, shelter, and logistics. Bangladeshi border districts have now gained formal political legitimacy. This gives radicals confidence, cover, and local protection and shift from covert to semi-open operations," according to the assessment.

Indian intelligence says Jamaat will not issue attack instructions, but its rise creates a permissive ecosystem. Groups like JMB splinters and AQIS linked recruiters will grow when police, administration, and society hesitate to act firmly. “The danger is less about bombs, more about radicals. Friday sermons, madrassa curricula, WhatsApp preachers, cross-border marriages. Earlier, infiltrations focused on numbers illegal migration and new risk is selective infiltration and trained ideologues, fund couriers, digital handlers. These are harder to detect, fewer in number, higher impact," they say.

“No overt ISI footprint but familiar financial and ideological channels are reactivating through NGOs, charities, and diaspora routes and this is classic deniability playbook," said sources.

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