'How will this play out in 2026?': Shashi Tharoor asks after Jamaat-e-Islami wins Dhaka varsity polls

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday expressed shock after Jamaat-e-Islami won the Dhaka University polls. Tharoor said that there is an increasing sense of frustration among the Bangladeshi public with the major political outfits — the Bangladesh National Party and the now-banned Awami League. 

He further said that the voters are backing outfits like the Jamaat because they are not tainted by corruption and misgovernance. 

"This may have registered as barely a blip on most Indian minds, but it is a worrying portent of things to come. There is an increasing sense of frustration in Bangladesh with both major parties — the (now banned) Awami League and the Bangladesh National Party. Those who wish “a plague on both your houses” are increasingly turning to the Jamaat-e-Islami, not because these voters are zealots or Islamist fundamentalists, but because the JeI are not tainted by the corruption and misgovernance associated, rightly or wrongly, with the two mainstream parties. How will this play out in the Feb 2026 general elections? Will New Delhi be dealing with a Jamaat majority next door?," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). 

His take came after the Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), affiliated with Bangladesh's Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami, achieved a sweeping victory in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election. This marks the first such success for the group since Bangladesh's independence, underscoring potential shifts in the country's political dynamics ahead of the national parliamentary elections scheduled for February.

The ICS-backed panel secured 23 out of 28 DUCSU posts, marking a decisive win over the student front of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. This outcome reflects the changing political landscape following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government last year.

Shadik Kayem and SM Farhad, candidates from the ICS, were elected as vice-president and general secretary, respectively, while the position of the president remains reserved for the university's vice-chancellor. This election is considered a barometer for the upcoming parliamentary elections, given the influential role of Dhaka University in Bangladesh's political sphere.

Observers note that the success of the ICS at Dhaka University may have implications for student elections in three other major universities in the coming months, where Jamaat-e-Islami has also been gaining strength.

The implications of the ICS's victory extend beyond university politics. As Bangladesh prepares for its upcoming parliamentary elections, this triumph could influence voter sentiment, potentially impacting national outcomes. The rise in influence of Islamist political groups within educational institutions highlights a critical area of focus for political parties and analysts alike.