From rallies to reels: How parties are trying to attract young voters

Blue jeans, sneakers, cap. Local dialects. Reel making competition. Youth talk. Rhetoric about the anti-extortion campaign. Cat memes. Meme pages running political memes. This is how the election campaign is going as the 13th National Parliamentary Election draws near. 

The upcoming 2026 national election—widely seen as the first competitive general election since 2008—will be decisively shaped by young voters. Estimates suggest that around 44% of the electorate will be under the age of 35, many of them voting for the first time. Political parties are acutely aware that this demographic could determine the outcome.

Two major alliances—the BNP-led bloc and the Jamaat-e-Islami–led alliance—are pursuing sharply different strategies to attract young voters. Their approaches, ranging from cultural symbolism and digital storytelling to ideological positioning, reveal how youth politics has become a central battleground in this election.

BNP's youth-facing recalibration

For decades, election campaigns in Bangladesh followed a familiar script: large rallies, confrontational rhetoric and rigidly formal leadership styles. This election cycle, however, has seen visible attempts—particularly by BNP—to move away from that formula.

BNP has promised to introduce an easy bank loan facility for students seeking financial support to pursue higher studies abroad, alongside measures to improve access to credit for small and young entrepreneurs. BNP also proposed to introduce 'Family Card', and create 15 million jobs for people in 18 months. 

According to Tazrian Alam Ayaz, a young corporate executive, the strategy has been carefully constructed. "BNP is using their prime ministerial candidate to his fullest potential. Tarique Rahman, after being absent from the media for 17 years, has a comparatively 'cleaner' image."

Ayaz believes that visual storytelling plays a central role. "They are amplifying that image by showing his family-man side—featuring Zobaida Rahman and Zaima Rahman, highlighting his softer personality, the cat Zebu, his casual dress code, the cap, jeans and sneakers, the hand microphone, and his habit of walking around the stage."

He argues that this resonates with urban youth who are wary of ideological extremism. "Since Jamaat is now his main opponent, and a section of urban youth fears Islamic fascism, Tarique Rahman already has an edge. BNP is consciously amplifying that."

Organisationally, BNP has also invested in improving its digital presence. "They have rejuvenated what was once considered a 'chapri' online image," Ayaz said. "They appear to be working with professional agencies. Youth talks, reel-making competitions and volunteer-generated content are all part of this strategy."

Despite these efforts, some observers remain cautious about BNP's youth appeal.

Digital Dispute Resolution Specialist Uzma Tazrian sees the approach as experimental. "What BNP is trying is good. But it is an experimental game. Time will tell whether the experiment succeeds," she said.

She believes BNP still struggles to fully understand young voters' priorities. "When it comes to attracting young people, BNP still has significant gaps," she said. "Those involved in policymaking do not seem to fully grasp the pulse of the youth."

Dr Asif Shahan, professor at the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, agreed with her concerns. 

"From one perspective, Tarique Rahman's strategy is useful because he is trying something new. He is not delivering a conventional speech. Instead, he is trying to communicate by positioning himself closer to people on stage, which is important." 

He added, "However, based on the data and information I have so far, this approach has not yet translated into constituency-level engagement. There is still no evidence of systematic door-to-door outreach or direct voter engagement at the grassroots level by BNP." 

Jamaat's ideological continuity

In contrast to BNP's stylistic experimentation, Jamaat-e-Islami has largely adhered to its traditional campaign model. Their campaign is simple—portraying themselves as the honest contenders against BNP, whom they have successfully branded as a party of extortionists. 

There's not much apart from this particular narrative. And to some extent, it is working. 

Jamaat has pledged to provide interest-free loans of Tk10,000 per month to 500,000 unemployed graduates if it comes to power. The party has also promised interest-free education loans of Tk10,000 per month for 100,000 students, to be awarded on the basis of merit and need. 

Firoz Ahmed, researcher and political commentator, said, "Jaamat's campaign mostly relies on branding themselves as the honest candidates. They are hammering the notion that they are the only ones who can run the country honestly." 

Asif Bin Ali, political analyst, communication expert and Doctoral Fellow, Georgia State University observed another angle. "Jamaat's communication remains largely formal and sermon-oriented," he said. "It relies more on ideological messaging than cultural familiarity."

According to him, Jamaat's campaign "is largely built around religious sentiment and anti-India rhetoric, with limited effort to connect with young voters through visual cues, dress or speech style. The approach is strongly top-down and lacks forward-looking policy promises."

Uzma Tazrian describes Jamaat's campaign as "intense but narrow". 

"Jamaat is throwing everything it has into campaigning," she said. "In social media outreach, others are nowhere near them." However, she noted that this reach often remains confined to their existing supporter base.

Ayaz added that Jamaat's strength lies in its reactive strategy. "They have a solid grip on the middle class and are more effective at attacking opponents than promoting their own candidates," he said. 

"One thing Jamaat is doing is adopting a wait-and-watch strategy, BNP, being a large party, makes numerous mistakes, and Jamaat capitalises on those. This has turned out to be very effective in Ducsu and other elections. They are being more reactive than proactive."

NCP: Visibility without impact

The National Citizen Party (NCP), often described as a youth-driven force, presents a different challenge. While its activists are highly visible online, its electoral messaging remains unclear.

Dr Asif Shahan said, "In the middle of all these, NCP has effectively disappeared. Before entering the alliance, they spoke about contesting on equal footing. Now they are just one of the alliance partners. We even heard claims that Nahid Islam could be the prime minister. I have never seen anything like this before—where the supposed prime ministerial candidate is introduced or endorsed by the leader of another party." 

Uzma Tazrian noted that many young people initially saw NCP as their representative. "As a party that emerged from the 2024 uprising, young voters generally identify with NCP," she said. "But at this point, they are overshadowed by Jamaat."

Ayaz is more critical of the NCP. "NCP has a loud voice within politically conscious activist circles," he said. "But their penetration beyond that circle is almost zero."

Journalist Md Zubayer Ibn Kamal questioned whether NCP's youth-focused agenda can survive alliance politics. "Given Jamaat's dominance in the alliance, it is unclear whether NCP's youth-oriented commitments will be allowed to stand," he said.

The ones being left out 

Dr Asif Shahan argued that both sides are focusing on the educated urban youths by promising similar pledges. And two specific groups are being left out. 

"One is young people in rural areas. The other is girls living in villages and semi-urban areas, whose life challenges are fundamentally different. Unfortunately, I do not see any political party meaningfully addressing these issues. It feels as though these groups have become almost invisible."

He added, "To me, this represents a large untapped voter base—one that no party is seriously trying to reach. That is what makes me uneasy. Everyone seems focused on appealing to a specific segment, but youth in Bangladesh is not a homogeneous group."

Beyond aesthetics: The demand for substance

Firoz Ahmed, researcher and political commentator, said, "We are not seeing the organic youth leadership grow; rather the youth are given a particular type of representatives, alienating the diverse nature of our politically-conscious youth population. After the Uprising, we saw many new faces entering the political arena, to serve the country. Now, only a handful of them have been put under limelight and the rest have been sidelined." 

His concerns show that the curated image of youth voters are hardly reflective of the big picture. Hence, the young voters are open to new styles but increasingly demand credibility. 

Zubayer Ibn Kamal echoes this concern, arguing that young voters want clarity rather than charisma. "Political parties need to present clear roadmaps addressing the existing problems and potential of young people," he said. "Not just verbal assurances, but detailed explanations of how jobs will be created, how budget deficits will be managed and how reforms will be implemented."

Among young voters, responses are mixed and often pragmatic.

University student Nusrat Jahan Puthee believes both alliances understand the demographic reality. "Both parties acknowledge that young voters will make a difference in the results," she said. "That's why they are running youth-centric campaigns."

She appreciates direct engagement but remains sceptical. "Direct interactions create the feeling that we are being heard," she said. "But Jamaat's strategy feels old-school. This politically aware generation knows BNP has flaws, but many choose to ignore them."

Online culture, she argues, has also shaped perceptions. "Memes and trolling have significantly reduced Jamaat and NCP's appeal among young voters," she said. "They failed to ensure a safe online space, and that has had an impact."

Asif Bin Ali summarised the stakes. "Tarique Rahman's communication style may increase visibility among young voters," he said. "But its electoral impact will ultimately depend on whether this shift is matched with clear and credible policies on employment, education and political participation."

With nearly half of the electorate under 35, the upcoming election is not only a contest among the political parties. It is a test of whether they can move beyond symbolism and speak convincingly to a generation that will shape the country's future.