Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani began his political journey in the 1920s when he got involved in the Khilafat and non-cooperation movements in Bengal.

Students in Bangladesh started protesting in early July 2024 and demanded reform in the job quota system that reserved more than half of government jobs.

As Bangladesh prepares to vote on February 12, the Election Commission and security agencies have completed final arrangements aimed at ensuring a peaceful polling process. Results are expected to be confirmed on Friday, February 13.

Ivars Ijabs, Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) for Bangladesh's 2026 parliamentary elections, underscored the historic significance of the polls, emphasising the EU's neutral and fact-based approach to assessment.

"The European Union has gladly responded to the invitation of the Bangladesh interim government and the Central Electoral Commission to observe these elections, recognising that they are historic and important for Bangladesh," Ijabs said while speaking to ANI.

Outlining the mission's mandate, he stated, "The end result of that is to produce a report on those elections about what have been the strengths, what have been, if any, problems or weaknesses. Our task is not to get involved in the political game. We are non-partisan and neutral."

Placing the observation exercise within the broader framework of EU-Bangladesh relations, Ijabs noted, "This is one of the steps in expanding our cooperation with Bangladesh, given how important these elections are after a lengthy period without credible, competitive elections."

He added that the mission's final report would recommend improvements to democratic processes. "We really need credible partners, and Bangladesh is, of course, a close partner. We want to build and expand this partnership on the basis of democracy, the rule of law, and accountability in the exercise of political power, which is why we are observing the reform process."

The Bangladesh government has announced it will provide financial assistance and support for the family of Dipu Chandra Das, who was lynched in Mymensingh district last year in December.

As Bangladesh is on the cusp of a historic election, the Hindus in the nation are grappling with living in fear of reprisals after the election as the targeted killings of Hindus continue in Bangladesh.

At least 394 international election observers and 197 foreign journalists have arrived in Bangladesh to observe the country's 13th general election and the referendum on the July National Charter, both scheduled to be held on Thursday, the Chief Adviser's Press Wing said in a statement on Wednesday.

Of the international observers, 80 represent various international organisations.

A total of 240 observers are from bilateral countries, including independent European observers.

Another 51 are individuals affiliated with different global institutions.

"The number of international observers for the upcoming polls is more than double that of the controversial general election held on January 7, 2024. By comparison, the 12th, 11th, and 10th general elections were monitored by 158, 125, and just four international observers, respectively," the statement added.

Key organisations sending observer missions include the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), with 28 observers, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, with 27.

The US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) has deployed 19 observers, while the National Democratic Institute (NDI) has sent one.

Yunus sees himself as the prime candidate for the post of President. Yet, on the streets of Bangladesh, he is unpopular and much reviled.

With Bangladesh heading into national elections in less than 24 hours, a rare and urgent congressional briefing on Capitol Hill has thrown a harsh spotlight on what speakers described as the accelerating persecution of Hindu.

Mohammad Harun Al Rashid, a seasoned Bangladeshi diplomat, in an exclusive interview with a leading think tank, described Bangladesh's national election slated for Thursday as one of the "ugliest" in the country's history.

He warned that the interim government's Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who has long survived by repackaging the grotesque as virtue, cannot evade accountability.

In an interview with Sri Lanka-based think tank Trinco Centre for Strategic Studies (TSST), Rashid said, "Like everything Yunus calls 'beautiful', this election is among the ugliest in Bangladesh's history, and that is not hyperbole. Yunus has long survived by repackaging the grotesque as virtue. This time, he will not get away with it."

He asserted that what is unfolding is not a genuine election but a contest between two factions of the 2024 "jihadist coalition" that seized power by overthrowing former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

He argued that on one side stands the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, while on the other is the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and its partners.

The election is going to be the first since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, who now lives in exile in India. She was sentenced to death in absentia last year by a special tribunal under the Yunus-led administration. The charges against her relate to crimes against humanity over the deaths of hundreds of people during the 2024 uprising.

The election results will serve as an important test of whether popular protest movements by young people can translate into durable democratic change. Nearly 5 million people are new voters and will be casting their ballots for the first time.

An increasingly urgent concern in Bangladesh is the rising prominence of hard-line groups. Their influence has raised alarms about the rights and safety of women and religious minorities. Minority communities, particularly Hindus, report increased intimidation and incidents of violence, deepening fears about their place in the Muslim-majority nation.

There are growing concerns that the Islamist coalition could exploit these tensions to reassert political influence. Bangladesh is over 90 per cent Muslim, while around 8 per cent are Hindu.

Bangladesh’s political landscape has for decades revolved around two rival dynasties. On one side is the Awami League, headed by Hasina, the daughter of the country’s founding president. Opposing it is the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, now led by Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia . who died in December.

With the Awami League banned, the BNP has emerged as the front-runner, positioning Rahman as the leading candidate. Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self exile and has promised to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law and revive the economy.

Challenging the BNP is a broad 11-party coalition spearheaded by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, which is seeking to expand its influence in national politics. Jamaat-e-Islami was banned under Hasina but has gained influence since her ouster.

The alliance also includes the newly formed National Citizen Party, created by leaders of the 2024 uprising.

Polls will open at 7:30am (01:30 GMT) on February 12 and close at 4:30pm (10:30 GMT). The polling will involve more than 127 million eligible voters in the nation of some 170 million people, with 1,981 candidates contesting across 300 parliamentary seats nationwide, according to the Election Commission of Bangladesh (ECB). Bangladeshi citizens living abroad will also be able to participate through a postal voting system for the first time.

Bangladesh's national legislature comprises 350 lawmakers. Of these, 300 are elected directly from single-member constituencies, while an additional 50 seats are reserved for women. Elections are conducted under a first-past-the-post system, so if a party wins 60 seats, it receives 10 reserved seats to be allocated to female politicians. Each parliament serves a five-year term.

Bangladesh operates a plurality voting system under which voters make one choice from a list of candidates, and, after the votes are counted, the candidate with the most votes wins the seat. This means that a party can win a large number of seats by only small margins, reflecting an imbalance between overall vote share and overall seats won.