Campaigning intensifies in Sarishabari ahead of 13th national polls
Campaigning has intensified in the Sarishabari constituency ahead of the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election, with candidates holding yard meetings, rallies, and door-to-door outreach, placing particular emphasis on women's participation.
The constituency comprises one municipality and eight unions. According to local election officials, the seat has 304,992 voters, including 151,527 men, 153,464 women, and one transgender voter.
Local leaders said Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami nominees have been prioritising engagement with women voters in recent days. Supporters of BNP-backed candidate Md Faridul Kabir Talukdar, popularly known as Shamim, held several electoral meetings attended by large numbers of women.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Shamim's wife, Meherjan Ara Talukdar, also carried out village-level outreach, seeking votes for the "rice sheaf" symbol, according to local party sources.
On Friday, leaders and activists of the Public Rights Council held a meeting and began campaigning in favour of the "rice sheaf", they said. Speakers at the programme included upazila convener Al-Amin Milu, co-convener Arif Talukdar, and joint member secretary Anwar Hossain, among others.
Conversely, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Advocate Md Abdul Awal has been campaigning across the constituency with leaders of an 11-party alliance, party sources said. Jamaat activists have been seeking votes for the "scales" symbol, including through women-focused outreach programmes.
Other candidates, including those using the "hand fan", "sickle", "kettle", and "truck" symbols, have been less visible on the ground, according to local voters and politically aware residents.
Several voters said the contest appears to be primarily between the BNP-backed and Jamaat candidates, though the final outcome will depend on turnout and last-minute shifts in support.
