BNP Candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi Disqualified Over Loan Default in Cumilla-4

In a major setback for the BNP in the Cumilla-4 constituency, candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi has been rendered ineligible to contest the upcoming national election due to a loan default.

On Thursday (January 8), the Chamber Court stayed a previous High Court order that had cleared him from the loan defaulter list. As a result, Munshi remains legally classified as a loan defaulter, which bars him from participating in the polls under existing electoral regulations.

The controversy began on January 3 during the scrutiny of nomination papers, when the Returning Officer initially declared Munshi’s candidacy valid. His primary rival, Hasnat Abdullah of the NCP—who is backed by the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance—raised strong objections regarding Munshi’s financial status at the time. Although the High Court had temporarily removed him from the defaulter list, Premier Bank authorities appealed the decision to the Chamber Court, leading to today’s stay order.

This legal development has significantly cleared the path for Hasnat Abdullah in Cumilla-4. With the Jamaat candidate, Saiful Islam, already withdrawing from the race to support Abdullah, the 11-party alliance is now in a dominant position. Conversely, the disqualification of the BNP candidate has disrupted the party's electoral strategy in this key constituency just weeks before the vote.