India is keeping a close eye on the elections given the spurt in attacks on minorities.
Clashes have been reported between Jamaat and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters in Mirpur-10 Constituency in Dhaka. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman is contesting from this seat. Voting is underway on 299 seats in Bangladesh.
Here are 10 points on this big story:
- Voters are casting their ballots for 299 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or parliament, for which the majority mark will be 150. Voting has been cancelled in the Sherpur-3 constituency following the death of a candidate. A total of 12.77 crore registered voters are casting their votes in the first-past-the-post system. Voting began at 7.30 am local time (7 am IST) and results should start trickling in by evening.
- Another 50 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad are reserved for women and these members are elected by MPs through proportional representation via single transferable vote.
- The 13th parliamentary elections will be the first since prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was ousted following massive student protests in August 2024. Her arch-rival Khaleda Zia, who led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) died in December the following year.
- Zia and Hasina held the prime minister's post alternately from 1991 until the Awami League chief came to power in 2009. She remained in the post for over 15 years and 200 days and had won elections again in 2024, until she was deposed months later.
- These elections will, thus, also be the first without two of the most consequential political figures in the country in decades. People in Bangladesh will cast their votes in a completely changed political landscape and hope to start a new chapter in the country's history.
- Filling the political vacuum, in a blast from the past, is Zia's son Tarique Rahman. The 60-year-old returned to the country from exile after nearly 17 years in December and has quickly capitalised on popular support enjoyed by his mother, the BNP and himself to emerge as the frontrunner for the prime minister's post.
- With the Awami League excluded from participation in the elections because of its crackdown during the student protests, the main challenger will be the Jamaat-e-Islami. The Jamaat, which was allied with the BNP for many years, is now leading a coalition of its own and has the support of the National Citizen Party, a student and Gen-Z outfit born out of the anti-Hasina protests.
- Apart from picking the next government, electors will also vote in a referendum on the July National Charter that has been agreed to by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and several political parties. Among the points in the charter are limiting prime ministers to two terms (10 years), establishing an upper House of parliament, and restoring the caretaker system - having a caretaker government take charge for 90 days before an election to ensure polls are free and fair.
- The elections will have a bearing not just on Bangladesh but also on regional players, including India, China and Pakistan. While the country, which India helped attain its independence, was seen as leaning towards New Delhi until Hasina was in power, there has been a turn towards Beijing and Islamabad lately. India's ties with Bangladesh have been tense under Yunus, and between the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the former is seen as more pro-New Delhi.
- India will also be keeping a close eye on the elections given the spurt in attacks on minorities and the killing of Hindus since Hasina's ouster. Violence and clashes are feared on the polling day too.
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