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Bangladesh's 13th Jatiya Sangsad election campaign is officially underway, marking the country's first election since Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024.
The election is scheduled for February 12, 2026, with nearly 2,000 candidates contesting 300 parliamentary seats. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami are leading the campaign, with BNP chairman Tarique Rahman addressing rallies across the country. The Election Commission has allocated symbols and confirmed final candidates, marking the start of full-scale political activity ahead of the February 12 polls. Voting will coincide with a nationwide referendum on the same day. The election is seen as a referendum on the post-Hasina political order, with the BNP holding an edge over Jamaat-e-Islami. The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has implemented reforms, including the reintroduction of "no vote" in single-candidate constituencies and allowing expatriates to vote. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is launching its campaign in Sylhet, with its chairman, Tarique Rahman, joining rallies in seven districts. Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman will begin his campaign in Dhaka-15 and tour eight northern districts. Political parties are participating in this election through two separate alliances under the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami. Tarique Rahman will return from Sylhet to Dhaka via the highway, and on his way back, he will first hold a large public gathering in Sylhet early in the morning. Then, along the way, he will conduct numerous public meetings in different districts and hold roadshows. Millions of people have gathered in Sylhet to hear Rahman, who was visiting the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal last night. He's visiting 17 districts, engaging directly with people and seeking votes. This traditional campaign style has a new twist - Rahman's personal outreach is setting the tone for the February 12 polls The Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana Shafiqur Rahman, will begin his election campaign today in Dhaka and Mirpur with a public gathering in the afternoon, and subsequently, he will embark on a nationwide election tour through the northern region and Rangpur district. Following the 2024 public movement in Bangladesh, the student leaders who led it have formed a new political party called the National Citizen Party (NCP). The NCP is participating in the election in alliance with Jamaat, and the NCP leaders have begun campaigning in those constituencies. In the upcoming election in Bangladesh, many independent candidates have also stepped forward and begun campaigning in their respective constituencies. During the 2024 uprising, on August 5 of that year, Sheikh Hasina fled to India, and subsequently an interim government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus. This interim government has been tasked with overseeing the election commission and the conduct of the elections. However, Sheikh Hasina and her party, the Awami League, are unable to participate in this election, as the party's activities are currently banned. (ANI)
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