Fake election narratives target social media users
On October 21, 2025, a photocard mimicking the daily Amar Desh went viral on Facebook. The post, accompanied by a photo of Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Nur, read: “Don’t get excited. Jamaat will form the government. Write it down.” The post quickly gained huge traction on social media, reaching more than 10,000 users and receiving hundreds of comments and shares. The same day, another photocard, also imitating the daily Amar Desh, splashed across social media. The card quoted Nur as saying: “Anyone voting for BNP will be responsible for the harm of the 180 million people.”
None of these were true. Fact-check reports found they were all fake.
But these were only two examples. As the February election nears, targeted disinformation and outright fake news centring the election are spreading on an unprecedented scale in efforts to influence voters and build a narrative that serves vested interest.
Between October 1 and November 15, fact-checkers debunked 57 national election-related false claims, nearly triple the volume of similar misinformation compared to the previous three months combined.
During this period, the highest volume of the false election-related narrative involved fabricated statements attributed to, among others, Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, election officials and different political party leaders. In some cases, citing non-existent surveys, false claims were circulated about the supposed popularity of certain political parties and their chances of winning the election. In other cases, top BNP and NCP leaders were falsely attributed to making claims about Jamaat’s rising vote bank and the party’s potential win in the election. Fake news about political violence, resignation and expulsion over nomination also spread on a significant scale since early November, when BNP announced its primary list of 237 candidates for the February election.
One narrative is particularly alarming as it has the potential to foment communal tension. In this case, a fake media card was used to claim that the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mia Golam Parwar said, “Hindus would not be allowed to live in this country if they do not vote for Jamaat.” Parwar never made such a comment.
In the political arena as well as in the media, discussions and debates about reform, election, proportional representation (PR) system and referendum began soon after the interim government took office after the fall of Sheikh Hasina in August last year. Simultaneously, fake news around these issues has been making the rounds almost regularly. Dismislab’s analyses of misinformation show that in each of the first three quarters of this year, election-related disinformation consistently increased. In the most recent July–September quarter, 21 national election-related misinformation was fact-checked by eight Bangladesh-related fact-checking organizations. Between October 1 and November 15, 57 unique election-related false claims were debunked. This means, the first half of the current quarter saw nearly three times more misinformation about the national election compared to the entire third quarter.
Election-related misinformation has the potential to sow political discord and harm the political environment, creating concerns among ordinary citizens, according to a 2023 report published in The Guardian. A recent report published in The Daily Star, citing research by Digitally Right, stated that disinformation is no longer limited to political rivalry. It is also eroding public trust and fueling communal divisions.
False attribution
Of the 57 debunked election-related misinformation analyzed for this report, the highest 27 involved false statements attributed to the head of the government, public officials and political leaders. In most cases, these claims were circulated by imitating graphic cards of mainstream media outlets. For example, of the four false claims attributed to Nurul Haque Nur, president of Gono Odhikar Parishad party, three were spread by copying the graphic cards of the daily Amar Desh. Clearly, these posts sought to build a narrative in favour of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party. One post falsely quoted him as saying that Jamaat would form the government, while another said Jamaat-e-Islami was very close to assuming power. A third post sought to warn citizens against voting for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). It quoted Nur as stating: anyone voting for the BNP in the upcoming election would be responsible for causing harm to 18 crore people. Fact-check reports found Nur made no such remarks.
The name and photo of Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus was abused to dish out even more sensitive claims, each of which has since been debunked. Mimicking the media card of Jamuna TV, one post falsely quoted the chief advisor as saying that the Awami League and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were engaged in a conspiracy about the election. Another, using a photocard of the daily Kalbela, claimed that the chief advisor had said there was no possibility of holding the national election in 2026. The third is an old video taken from an Indian news outlet, which was manipulated to claim that the chief advisor had postponed the election to April to ensure Awami League’s participation.
During the October 1 to November 15 period, at least three National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders were targeted to spread misinformation through made-up statements. Some posts claimed that party leader Hasnat Abdullah said he had no doubt that Jamaat would win more than 160 seats, a claim that has since been proven false in verification. Another fabricated photocard circulated in the name of Sarjis Alam, another NCP leader, stating that he does not speak against Jamaat because Jamaat will come to power. Elsewhere, a photocard mimicking the daily Amar Desh claimed that NCP leader Nasiruddin Patwari had said that Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman did not receive 50,000 votes in the past three national elections combined.
A fabricated graphic card was circulated claiming that BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that Jamaat is now a major party and is capable of challenging the BNP even without an alliance. Another graphic card in the name of Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Mia Golam Parwar claimed that he had said Hindus would not be allowed to live in this country if they did not vote for Jamaat in the upcoming election. But fact-check reports found the claim was false.
Beyond political figures, Election Commission officials also fell victim to such misinformation. In one instance, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin was falsely quoted on a photocard: “We want to hold an election as clear as a mirror with the participation of all parties, including the Awami League.” Verification found this claim to be false. Another statement was attributed to a fictitious “Election High Commissioner” who supposedly said, “There is no obstacle for the Awami League to participate in the election.” The Election Commission does not even have such a post as verifications found.
Misinformation around nomination
At least 15 unique pieces of misinformation centered around nomination, and BNP was a key target. In early October, several Facebook posts claimed that the BNP had published the list of nominated candidates, which was fact-checked and found fabricated.
BNP’s nomination-related misinformation intensified after the party announced its primary list of candidates for 237 parliamentary constituencies on November 3. In Cumilla-6 constituency, for example, BNP primarily picked Monirul Haque Chowdhury. But false claims were circulated that a different individual named Monirul Haque Sakku got the party ticket. False claims about resignation of BNP leaders after being denied the party nomination were also circulated. Examples include the imaginary resignations of Barrister Rumeen Farhana and Lion Aslam Chowdhury.
Indeed, BNP leaders and activists staged protests and blocked roads in several places (1, 2, 3) over dissatisfaction about the party’s candidate selection in several places. This was exploited to spread false claims using old and unrelated images and videos, or videos created using AI. In some cases, BNP leaders and activists were falsely blamed for setting fire to trains and buses. In at least one documented case, an AI-generated video was circulated claiming that they stopped trains and buses and carried out vandalism and arson after the candidates of their choosing were denied nomination.
A false expulsion order, supposedly signed by BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, over protesting the party’s decision on nomination was also circulated on social media.
In at least two cases, two fictitious surveys were cited to spread false information. In one case, claims circulated on social media that Al Jazeera conducted a secret survey that found Sheikh Hasina’s party, the Awami League, received the highest public support. Verification reports found that the news outlet did no such survey. The other claim involved a fabricated photocard of Indian news outlet NTV, claiming that a study found Jamaat-e-Islami’s alliance would win 163 seats in the upcoming national election. This claim was also false.
In a religiously-charged false claim, a video from India was circulated supposedly showing that a Jamaat leader was dancing at a Hindu community’s Puja mandap in the hope of gaining votes.
