Bangladesh gears up for its general election on February 12 (Thursday), the first since Sheikh Hasina's 2024 ouster, featuring a dramatic shift. With Awami League (AL) suspended and sidelined, frontrunners Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami lead a fragmented field of 51 parties contesting 300 Jatiya Sangsad seats.
Major parties contesting in 2026: BNP leads, Jamaat resurgent and NCP emerges
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP): Centre-right powerhouse led by ailing Khaleda Zia; son Tarique Rahman (exile returnee) drives from London roots. Ideology: Nationalism, economic liberalism, anti-corruption. Polls show 33-35 per cent support; conceded seats to allies like Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI): Islamic democracy advocates under Shafiqur Rahman; 80 per cent fresh faces signal youth push. Polls: 30-34 per cent support. Allied with 11-party bloc including NCP; fields first Hindu candidate Krishna Nandi for minorities. Past BNP coalition (2001-06).
National Citizen Party (NCP): New centrist upstart led by 27-year-old Nahid Islam (student activist). Pledges reform, new constitution, healthcare, climate focus. Weak infrastructure but reform buzz; rocky Jamaat-e-Islami alliance saw resignations.
51 parties registered and eight sit out (e.g., Workers Party). BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami bipolar race dominates 1,981 candidates; BNP absorbed mergers like Liberal Democratic Party. Minorities: 80 candidates (BNP: 6, CPB: 17).
2024 general election: Hasina's Awami League sweeps amid boycott chaos
Sheikh Hasina's Awami League crushed opposition, winning 224/300 seats (76 per cent) in boycotted January polls- lowest turnout ever (10-40 per cent). BNP-led alliance abstained, alleging rigging. Awami League dominated since 2008; violence killed dozens pre-poll.
2018 general election: Awami League's 'rigged' landslide, BNP crippled
Hasina's Awami League grabbed 288/300 seats (96 per cent) amid fraud cries- video evidence of ballot stuffing. BNP boycotted after arrests; Khaleda jailed. Turnout ~80 per cent, but opposition called it "farce." Jamaat-e-Islami won one seat.
2014 election: AL dominates boycotted poll
Hasina's Awami League secured 234/300 (78 per cent) in low-turnout (40 per cent) January vote; BNP boycotted over caretaker govt row. Violence claimed 100+ lives; Khaleda Zia out. JI allied briefly but fared poorly. Post-2024 uprising, BNP/JI eye revenge in this "biggest democratic process of 2026" (127 million voters). Polls favour BNP, but alliances fracture and violence loom.
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