Jamaat's Border Rise: India's Eastern Frontier Risks Heighten After Bangladesh Polls

• Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) 2026 election victory, with Tarique Rahman as PM, is seen as pragmatic by New Delhi for national stability.
• Despite BNP's win, Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats, concentrated in border areas with West Bengal and Assam, raising India's eastern frontier concerns.
• Jamaat's political control in border districts complicates India-Bangladesh cooperation on security, potentially aiding smuggling, infiltration, and radicalization.
• The party's influence provides cover for networks, madrasas, and funding, which have historically been linked to extremist elements and recruitment.
• Past terror plots and recent arrests in West Bengal, like the Burdwan blast and JMB modules, highlight the tangible threat from cross-border extremism, exacerbated by Jamaat's rise.