In the final stretch of the campaign, Bangladesh prepares for a competitive election
Bangladesh is heading into its first election since the 2024 uprising, and its first genuinely competitive vote in nearly two decades. Voters across the country show enthusiasm amid lively campaigns, spirited debates, and hopes for change
At a tea stall in Agargaon, in the heart of Dhaka, half a dozen men sat on low wooden benches, sipping milky tea, passing cigarettes, and gossiping through the afternoon. Before long, their conversation drifted to the most talked-about subject in Bangladesh at the moment: the election, and who might win it.
They argued, teased, and second-guessed one another, each man offering predictions shaped more by instinct than by numbers. It was a usual tea-stall scene — elderly men and young faces, strangers and regulars sharing the same space. For decades, these modest roadside tea stalls have been the places where Bangladesh's most consequential political conversations quietly unfold.
Among them was Afjal Hossain, a college student. This election, he said, would be his first. "I don't want to waste this vote," he said, glancing around the stall as others nodded, some smiling, some listening intently.
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Nearby, Abdul Samad, a rickshaw puller, joined the conversation. The last time he voted, he said, was in 2008. "After that, there was no reason," he added.
During the long rule of Sheikh Hasina, party activists would cast ballots on voters' behalf, he said, turning elections into rituals rather than choices. "Those were not real elections."
As the men spoke, a small mohalla rally passed by the stall – one of the neighbourhood processions that have returned to Bangladesh's streets during this campaign.
Slogans echoed, flags fluttered, and supporters chanted in favour of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its paddy sheaf symbol. The mood at the stall shifted instantly.
Those who favoured the symbol smiled and leaned forward; others fell quiet, watching with a hint of wariness. For a moment, the tea stall seemed to split neatly in two.
That fleeting divide reflects a wider national moment. Bangladesh is heading into its first election since the 2024 uprising, and its first genuinely competitive vote in nearly two decades.
After years of boycotted, uncontested or deeply controversial polls, politics has returned to public life with rallies, door-to-door visits and loudspeaker announcements. The Awami League, which governed for more than 15 years, is absent from the race following its role in last year's violent crackdown, leaving an unusually open and unpredictable field.
Surveys offer mixed signals. Some pre-election polls suggest BNP is heading for a landslide, projecting it could secure well over half the seats in parliament.
Others, including a recent survey by the International Republican Institute, point to a far closer race, with support split among BNP, Jamaat and allied candidates. On the ground, however, certainty is hard to find.
The intensity is visible far beyond the capital.
In Khulna, six parliamentary seats are being fiercely contested, but it is Khulna-1 that has drawn national attention. There, Jamaat has fielded Krishna Nandi, a Hindu candidate – an unprecedented move for an Islamic mainstream party.
His candidacy has fuelled online debate and controversy, amplified by provocative slogans and remarks. One chant 'Hare Krishna, Hare Bol, dari-palla taina tol' went viral, while later comments presenting himself to Muslim voters as a messenger of Allah, and urging Hindu voters to invoke Krishna, drew widespread criticism. Supporters say the attention has energised discussion; critics say it has crossed lines.
The race is particularly tight in Khulna-5, where BNP candidate Ali Asgar Lobi is locked in a close contest with Jamaat's Mia Golam Parwar. BNP accuses its rival of exploiting religious sentiment, while Jamaat leaders hit back by attacking BNP promises of family ration cards and unemployment benefits as hollow populism.
The rhetoric has at times turned theological, with accusations of "selling tickets to heaven" traded on both sides. In Khulna-6, personal attacks dominate another closely fought race, with rival candidates labelled outsiders or questioned over birthplace and loyalty.
Further south in Lakshmipur, the campaign has taken on an almost round-the-clock rhythm.
Official campaigning is meant to run between mid-afternoon and evening, but in practice it never stops. Tea stalls, street corners, playgrounds and social media feeds remain saturated with election talk.
"People are really enjoying it," said Fatema Akhtar Sarmin, a homemaker. When she tried to vote for the first time in 2018, she said, she found her ballot had already been cast.
"I never really got to vote," she said. In 2024, she stayed away altogether out of fear. "This time, it feels different," she added. "I even posted on Facebook asking which candidate I should vote for."
For younger voters, the novelty is striking. Naima Islam, an honours student at Lakshmipur Government College, said campaigners had visited her home repeatedly in recent days. "I never saw this before," she said. "Voting actually feels exciting."
A short video circulating on Facebook captured the changing tone. Filmed by a BNP activist, it showed rival candidates in Lakshmipur-4 – BNP's ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan and Jamaat's AR Hafiz Ullah – walking hand in hand during a campaign visit, before embracing another contender, Maulana Khaled Saifullah.
Despite sharp criticism from podiums, Jamaat activist Nawaz Sharif Raihan said candidates often sit together laughing when they meet informally. "This didn't happen before," he said. "That's why this election feels fun."
In Brahmanbaria, the campaign has taken on a festive air, from towns to remote villages.
Since the election schedule was announced, candidates have spent long days and nights attending courtyard meetings, rallies and door-to-door visits.
I even posted on Facebook asking which candidate I should vote for
The most closely watched seat there is Brahmanbaria-2, where Barrister Rumin Farhana is contesting as an independent with the duck as her symbol. Wherever she goes, crowds follow. Some supporters even present her with live ducks – a playful nod that has become a campaign spectacle in itself.
Hasibur Rahman, a resident of Aruail village, said he skipped the last two elections entirely.
"This time, it truly feels like a festival," he said. "I will vote. We want the country to change."
In the border upazila of Akhaura, Rubel Ahmed said expectations were high. Voters want roads, education and healthcare, he said, but also jobs for young people and protection of rivers and canals long occupied by influential groups. "The next representative must free them and make sure they are not locked again in a political repression," he said.
In Sylhet, election fever spills into everyday life in unexpected ways. From loudspeakers mounted on CNG auto-rickshaws come calls urging voters to back the paddy sheaf. The sound draws children running from alleyways, arms outstretched, chanting, "Give us a vote." For them, campaign leaflets are simply "votes," waved proudly as they form spontaneous processions through neighbourhoods.
At tea stalls and street corners, discussions mix excitement with anxiety and lingering distrust.
Saimum Ahmed, a resident of the Shibganj area, said recent elections generated little interest.
"This time, there is real enthusiasm," he said. "I hope it will be peaceful." BNP leader Rezaul Hasan Kays Lodhi echoed that sentiment, saying people felt they had regained a right long denied. "We are hopeful of a strong turnout," he said.
In northern Bangladesh, the contest is unfolding with particular intensity.
In Bogura, campaigning began across all seven parliamentary constituencies as soon as the final candidate list and symbols were announced, with BNP and Jamaat candidates dominating the ground. Claiming the district as its stronghold, the BNP says Bogura fell behind during the past 16 years and is promising rapid development if it returns to power. Jamaat, meanwhile, says Bogura has been a centre of Islamic political mobilisation since the Pakistan era and that it is working to regain its influence.
Female supporters have been especially visible, campaigning door to door and at roadside gatherings.
Bogura carries symbolic weight for the BNP as the birthplace of party founder Ziaur Rahman and the former constituency of Khaleda Zia. In Bogura-6 (Sadar), where she previously stood, BNP leaders are predicting victory for party chairperson Tarique Rahman and presenting the seat as a step towards national leadership.
In Bogura-4, Mosharraf Hossain, acting general secretary of the district BNP, is contesting with the paddy sheaf symbol. "Voting is like a festival for the people," he said. "For 16 years, people were deprived of that festival. This time, that opportunity has returned."
He said Bogura was deprived of development under the Awami League government. "If we come to power, we will create jobs for young people, prioritise training for women, and make agriculture and fisheries export-oriented," he said.
Across the northern belt, local loyalties shape the race. While Bogura is widely seen as a BNP stronghold, neighbouring Rangpur remains an area of Jatiya Party influence.
In Gaibandha-5, observers say the race is particularly intense, with BNP, Jamaat and independent candidates in contention. Internal divisions within the Jatiya Party have further complicated the contest. Independent candidate Nahiduzzaman Nishad, strong in the riverine char areas, said: "People want to vote safely and want a fair election. If polling day is secure, women's participation will be higher – and that will be decisive."
Back in Dhaka, as evening settled over Agargaon and the tea glasses emptied, Abdul Samad stood up to return to his rickshaw.
Election day, he said, would not be spent in the city. He plans to travel back to his village in Kushtia. "I will take my entire family to vote," he said, his voice firm. "It is a celebration we missed for a long time."
District correspondents of TBS contributed to this article.
