Political parties start campaign for national election across Bangladesh
Campaigning began across the country on Thursday (January 22) for the hugely anticipated national election since the 2024 mass uprising that ousted autocrat Sheikh Hasina from power after over 15 years of her dictatorial rule.
Major political parties held campaign rallies in capital Dhaka, and elsewhere in the country on the first day yesterday ahead of the February 12 election.
The election will also include a referendum on a national charter, with the interim government seeking to campaign for voters to support a “Yes” vote in what it describes as a new political course built on reforms.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of flag-waving leaders, activists and supporters of key frontrunner Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) crowded the streets of the north eastern city of Sylhet yesterday, chanting his name and various other slogans.
Tarique formally launched the party campaigns in Sylhet, home to the centuries-old shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran (RA).
The enthusiastic party followers shouted, carrying placards of the prime ministerial hopeful Tarique Rahman, who only returned to Bangladesh in December 25 after 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom.
Mentionable, Tarique Rahman, BNP chairman and the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, assumed the leadership of the party following the death of his mother on December 30.
We hope he will carry forward the legacy of his parents, mother Khaleda Zia and father former president Ziaur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1981.
On the other hand, the 10-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, began its campaign in capital Dhaka yesterday, in the constituency of the party Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman. Jamaat is seeking a return to formal politics after years of bans and crackdowns.
It is to be noted that since Hasina fled to India, key Jamaat-e-Islami leaders have been released from prison, and groups have grown increasingly assertive.
Jamaat has long faced criticism from secular groups who say its positions challenge Bangladesh’s secular foundations.
A new party The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising, and who have formed an alliance with Jamaat, also launched their rally in capital Dhaka.
This auspicious moment is also not far off. It should also be remembered that this path was kept closed for almost a decade and a half. For this, the nation’s sacrifice and opportunity were created again.
We must seize this opportunity. We hope that those concerned will be more responsible and strict in facing all the challenges before the election and will succeed in holding an election that is acceptable to all.