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Four Bangladeshi-American politicians have won local-level elections in the United States amid Democratic victories in the midterm elections.
The elections were held on November 3 local time, with many Americans of Bangladeshi origin casting their votes, leaving the expatriate community jubilant.
The winners are Abul Khan, Sheikh Rahman, Masudur Rahman and Hasib Fatemi.
The four politicians won elections in New Hampshire, Georgia, Connecticut and North Carolina. One ran as a Republican, while the other three were Democratic candidates.
Abul Khan, originally from Pirojpur, was elected for a seventh term as a New Hampshire state representative on the Republican ticket.
Sheikh Rahman, a Democratic candidate from Kishoreganj, was elected unopposed for a fifth term from Georgia State Senate District 5.
Masudur Rahman, originally from Chandpur, secured a third term representing Connecticut State Senate District 4. He won by a wide margin as a Democratic candidate.
Hasib Fatemi, originally from Gazipur, was elected from North Carolina State Senate District 18 as a Democratic candidate.
Meanwhile, Saddam Azlan Selim, originally from Noakhali, represents Virginia State Senate District 37. The Democratic politician was elected in 2024, and the next election in the district is scheduled for next year.
Expatriate Bangladeshis have described the Democrats’ victories in both chambers of the US Congress, alongside the success of politicians of Bangladeshi origin at the local level, as significant developments.
Shahjahan Sheikh, a mainstream politician living in the Bronx, said voters had delivered a strong rebuke to what he described as President Donald Trump’s wrongdoing over the past two years.
“That is the beauty of democracy,” he said.
He expressed hope that the election results would influence the thinking of politicians and policymakers, adding that hardworking Americans expected the same.
Faizul Islam, a professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus who works on international economics and politics, said falsehoods and hypocrisy could not survive for long.
He said Americans had grown frustrated and angry over what he described as Trump’s persistent injustice, authoritarianism and misconduct, adding that this was reflected in the “ballot revolution”.
According to Professor Faizul, Trump’s actions had weakened the Republican Party’s foundations. He said the party now needed to recover and should keep Trump at a distance.
