Sheikh Hasina's stronghold in Bangladesh is the constituency where Awami League voters still exist.


 


Gopalganj-3 is the constituency from which Sheikh Hasina Wajid has always won with a landslide majority. But after the ban on the Awami League, the question on everyone's mind is who will win this seat now?

The constituency comprises the districts of Tangipara and Kotalipara. This is the area where Sheikh Hasina's ancestral home and the grave of her father, Bangladesh's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, are also located. The constituency has been a symbolic powerhouse for the Awami League.

The BBC visited the constituency after the election schedule was announced, during which it found mixed reactions from voters, from tea shops to markets.

Speaking to ordinary voters, it is understood that a large section of them are angry that the Awami League has been kept out of the elections. Many voters told BBC Bangla that they would not vote in the elections at all. However, some say that they will participate in the voting despite the Awami League's non-existence.

Local voters' opinions

Tungipara and Kotalipara upazilas form Gopalganj-3 constituency

BBC Bangla spoke to a woman voter from Gopalpur village in Tangipara. She said that no candidate has contacted her to seek votes yet.

 

She said whether she will vote or not will depend on the situation on election day. 'We want peaceful and fair voting.'

BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are contesting the Gopalganj elections and there is talk of a contest between the two. Apart from this, NCP, Jatiya Party and independent candidates are also involved in the election campaign.

Experts say that the final decision of the Awami League regarding the elections and its message can   Gopalganj.

Who can replace Sheikh Hasina?

This time, BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP have nominated candidates from Gopalganj-3 constituency. Apart from this, Jatiya Party is also preparing and will field its candidates. Independent candidates have also started the election campaign and are putting up posters in the area seeking votes.

Abdul Hafeez, a trader in Patgati Bazaar, while talking to BBC, said that ‘this time the situation is a bit different but there is no problem. People will go to polling stations and vote.’

According to him, no one can sabotage the voting process if they want. When asked what kind of contest will be held for Sheikh Hasina’s seat in Gopalganj, he said, ‘this time the contest will be between Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP.’

There are strong supporters of Awami League in Gopalganj and across the country. There are concerns about voter turnout in elections without the participation of major parties. However, Jamaat-e-Islami believes that this time the situation and the traditional perception of voting will change.

In a recent interview with BBC Bangla, the party’s Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said, “Some people are saying that we will win in Gopalganj too. There was a perception that Hindu means Awami League.”

“The perception has changed that Gopalganj means Awami League. It was said about some districts of the country that this area belongs to Awami League, but now people will prove by voting that this is not the case.”

Will the election results be acceptable?



There is no possibility of the Awami League participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections because the party’s activities are banned in Bangladesh.

Experts say that the Awami League has a strong vote bank across the country and the party has won more than 30 percent of the votes in all past elections. The party’s activities have been suspended since the popular uprising and Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge in India.

The Awami League’s old ally, the Jatiya Party, wants to participate in the elections, but despite the ban, the party is politically stagnant and facing internal differences.

Jatiya Party chief GM Qadir told the BBC that “the elections will not be fair without the Awami League. These elections will be questionable. I have said this many times, even when the Awami League won the elections without the BNP.”

He added that his party is also being attacked and its office has been attacked many times.

According to him, “If we are not able to go to the field and the elections are not held properly, then this election may be questioned at the international level. The atmosphere is very bad and people are worried.”



Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Takoo said, “If even seven percent of voters vote, how can you say that the elections did not take place?” The Awami League has done wrong, it is being punished and will be punished further in the elections.’

On the other hand, the Awami League has rejected the announced schedule of the elections and has announced a protest demanding inclusive elections.

The party’s joint secretary Bahauddin Naseem said, ‘We want free, fair and impartial elections in which all political parties, including the Awami League, participate.’

The party claims that if the elections are held on February 12 as scheduled, they will not be accepted at home or abroad. The Awami League says that the government formed after this election will not be sustainable.