The curtain has dropped on electioneering in Bangladesh ahead of the February 12 parliamentary polls, leaving a buzz of anticipation after weeks of rallies and rhetoric. Campaigning wrapped up Tuesday morning, enforcing a mandatory 48-hour blackout as per the 2025 Election Code of Conduct, reported Dhaka’s leading daily, The Dhaka Tribune.
In a twist of voter pulse checks, multiple opinion polls reveal a razor-thin contest primarily between the BNP-led opposition front and Jamaat-e-Islami’s alliance. Kicking off January 22 post-symbol allocation, the hustings saw leaders vow reforms and rally supporters in the eleventh hour.
Diving into the data, Eminence Associates for Social Development’s expansive survey—covering 41,500 respondents across 300 seats via PSU methodology—tips BNP’s coalition to clinch 208 seats. Jamaat’s group is pegged at 46, shared CEO Shamiul Haider Talukder at a Dhaka unveiling.
Yet, the International Institute of Law and Diplomacy counters with a dead heat: Jamaat at 105 seats, BNP at 101. Adding fuel, Dhaka University alumni-driven Nationalist Research Cell projects BNP sweeping 220 seats on 77% vote share.
Experts warn these polls, while captivating, often sway perceptions more than mirror reality amid Bangladesh’s fractious politics. With diverse methodologies raising credibility questions, the electorate’s choice on polling day will settle the score. This election stands as a litmus test for the country’s political trajectory, watched closely by regional powers.