Ramesh Chandra, 44, from Gopalganj district in Bangladesh’s southwest, 127 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, has been making sculptures for over two decades. He is a voter in the Gopalganj-3 constituency, from where former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was elected for eight consecutive terms. Chandra has long supported Hasina’s Awami League.

But this time, the situation is different. Following the mass student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled to India. On May 10, 2025, the interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, banned the political activities of the Awami League and all its affiliates, under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, a domestic judicial body founded by Hasina in 2010, is currently prosecuting Awami League leaders for “genocide” and “crimes against humanity”, related to the 2024 movement. Ironically, the same tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for ordering a crackdown on the 2024 protesters.

Previously, the tribunal had awarded death sentences to several Jamaat-i-Islami leaders for ‘war crimes’ during the 1971 war and supporting Pakistan, resulting in the execution of Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mujahid in 2015 and Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami in 2016.

Once banned and vilified in Bangladesh, the Jamaat-i-Islami is now polling neck-and-neck with the country’s mainstream opposition. As the country prepares for its first election since the 2024 uprising, voters disillusioned with corruption are turning to an unexpected alternative…

The current government has stated that the Awami League will not be able to resume political activities until the trial is completed. As a result, the Awami League will not participate in the upcoming February 12 elections, the first national polls since the mass uprising. Despite being banned, the Awami League is campaigning against the polls on social media.

When asked if he would be voting this time, Chandra tells Eos, “Why wouldn’t I vote? I will vote and, this time, I will vote for the Jamaat. Everyone has had a chance. This time, Jamaat should be given a chance,” he continues. “Besides, none of them [Jamaat leaders] engage in corruption and extortion,” he claims.

Like Chandra, many other voters are now also leaning towards the Jamaat-i-Islami, reflecting a broader electoral transformation sweeping Bangladesh.

A SURGING POLITICAL FORCE

A December survey by the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) showed 30 percent of voters backing the party of the late former PM Khaleda Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP); 26 percent supporting the Jamaat-i-Islami; and six percent supporting the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student activists involved in the August 2024 popular uprising.

Another mid-January joint poll by Projection BD, IILD, Jagoron Foundation and NarratiV indicates a tighter race, with BNP at 34.7 percent, Jamaat close behind at 33.6 percent and NCP at 7.1 percent. It’s a remarkable turnaround for both the leading parties, whose leaders had been incarcerated and executed and particularly for the Jamaat, which was banned under the Sheikh Hasina regime.

Analysts say the Jamaat is competing closely with the BNP due to growing public dissatisfaction with corruption and extortion at the grassroots level, following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. Jamaat has sought to capitalise on this sentiment by presenting itself as a disciplined alternative. Its initiatives, including digital tools to track extortion complaints and monitor government spending, have drawn widespread attention.

The party’s rising popularity among young voters is also evident. According to Election Commission data from November 2025, Bangladesh has around 127.7 million registered voters, including roughly 45 million aged 18 to 35. In recent student union elections at several universities, including Dhaka University, the Jamaat’s student wing, the Islami Chhatra Shibir, won decisively........

© Dawn (Magazines)