Religion steers politics in Bangladesh, India — once again
Key takeaways
- Bengal, a region known for its secular traditions, is seeing a rise of religion in politics as Islamists grow stronger on the Bangladesh side of the border and Hindu nationalist BJP takes power in India's West Bengal.
- In Bangladesh, the February parliamentary elections marked a major moment for Islamist politics, with Jamaat-e-Islami winning nearly one third of the votes nationwide — its strongest showing yet.
- In India's West Bengal, Hindu nationalist BJP surged from about 10% vote share in 2016 to nearly 46% this year.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Bengal, a region known for its secular traditions, is seeing a rise of religion in politics as Islamists grow stronger on the Bangladesh side of the border and Hindu nationalist BJP takes power in India's West Bengal.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Db NBThe right-wing BJP recently achieved a historic victory in India's West Bengal state Image: Sahiba Chawdhary/REUTERSAdvertisement Religious and ethnic divisions are growing deeper in Bengal, a region divided between India and Bangladesh, as politicians on both sides of the border seek to capitalize on religious sentiment.
In Bangladesh, the February parliamentary elections marked a major moment for Islamist politics, with Jamaat-e-Islami winning nearly one third of the votes nationwide — its strongest showing yet.