Referendum Rumbles: ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ Divide Bangladesh on Facebook

A sudden surge of “Yes” and “No” posts has taken over Facebook since midnight, stirring widespread debate across newsfeeds. The platform has become a battleground of opinions over whether a national referendum should be held before the upcoming general election.

The online discourse, which began shortly after midnight on October 29, quickly turned into a social media trend. Competing narratives in favor of and against the referendum have sparked heated exchanges among political activists and general users alike.

According to reports, leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its affiliated organizations have launched a new social media campaign opposing the idea of a referendum. In contrast, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, which played a major role in the July Revolution, has initiated a counter-campaign supporting it.

Mixed reactions have emerged among political parties regarding the recommendations submitted by the National Consensus Commission to the government on implementing the July National Charter. The BNP remains adamant that the national election and the referendum should be held on the same day. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami has called for holding the referendum in November, and the Nationalist Civic Platform (NCP) has demanded that it take place before the parliamentary election, though it has not specified an exact date.

This has led to some alignment between Jamaat and NCP’s positions, while BNP has offered no support for either timeline, instead maintaining its call for a joint election-referendum day. Consequently, social media has become a hotbed of political contention.

Among the notable participants in the online debate, BNP’s Dhaka District General Secretary Nipun Roy Chowdhury and Chhatra Dal General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir have posted “No” on their Facebook profiles—posts that are now being widely shared by BNP supporters.

On the other hand, the verified Facebook page of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement has posted “Yes,” indicating support for the referendum, although it did not specify the exact context of their endorsement.

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) vice-presidential candidate Md. Abidul Islam Khan and joint secretary candidate Tanvir Al Hadi Mayed, both representing the Chhatra Dal panel, also posted “No.” The student organization’s verified page went further, posting a clear “No” stance on four specific issues.

Adding to the discourse, expatriate Bangladeshi writer, activist, and physician Dr. Pinaki Bhattacharya urged his followers to say “Yes” to the July Charter through a post on his Facebook profile.

Following his statement, supporters from different political backgrounds began posting statuses marked simply as “Yes” or “No,” each declaring their stance in the growing digital referendum debate.