Bangladesh has been gripped by a week of violence, arson and instability since the death of popular youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. But as the deadline for nominations for the February 12 election approaches on December 29, parties are focused on campaign rallies, mobilizing workers and sharing seats.

Bangladesh National Party (BNP) working chairman Tariq Rahman, who has been in the news for a long time as the future prime minister of Bangladesh, returned to Dhaka on Thursday with his wife and daughter after 17 years.

Addressing a party rally held on Thursday, he said that he has a plan to build the country. 'Martin Luther King had said, 'I have a dream.' I want to say it like him: I have a plan for Bangladesh,' he said while addressing a huge rally in the capital Dhaka, 'We all have to build this country together. From the hills to the plains, from Hindus and Buddhists to Muslims, this country belongs to everyone and we will build this country together.' Among the parties contesting the upcoming elections, BNP has the largest party in terms of organizational membership. This party has led the government three times. A large number of people attended the party's election rally on Thursday.

Tariq's father, General Ziur Rahman, founded the party in 1978. The following year, he won the presidential election. The same party also won a majority in the general election held in 1991 after the end of military rule in Bangladesh.

Tariq's mother, Khaleda Zia, was elected prime minister. She led the government until 1996. She then served for another five years after the 2001 election.

In the December 2008 election, Sheikh Hasina's Awami League-led coalition won 230 out of 300 constituencies. Since then, the party has won landslide victories in the 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections.

Hasina's coalition has won more than 220 out of 300 direct seats in every election since 2008. Leaders of opposition parties, including the BNP, were prosecuted in this process.

BNP leader Tariq fled to London after being charged with corruption and a grenade attack.

Hasina's Awami League won 224 out of 300 seats in the last direct election on January 7, 2024. But after the student movement intensified, she left the country on August 5 and went into exile in India.

Since then, Bangladesh has been preparing for new elections. The BNP is considered the most influential party in the upcoming elections. Party chairwoman Khaleda Zia is 80 years old. She is currently undergoing treatment after problems with her lungs and other vital organs were detected.

She was put on a ventilator a few days ago. As President Zia's age and health have not allowed her to continue, her son and acting president Tariq has stepped forward with the idea of ​​running the country.

This party with a centrist-right ideology has been focusing on Bangladesh's cultural nationalism and economic liberalization.

Jamaat-e-Islami is a hardline Islamic party in Bangladesh. The party was banned during the Hasina government. However, the government formed after the protests last year lifted the ban on the party.

This party, led by Shafiqur Rahman, advocates an Islamic system of governance under Sharia law. It has given the slogan of a 'mafia-free and anti-corruption society.' It formed a coalition with the BNP in 2001-2006. It has formed an alliance with seven other parties with hardline Islamic ideology in the upcoming elections.

But even as the deadline for registering candidates for the elections (December 29) approaches, the alliance has not reached an agreement on seat sharing.

The National Citizen Party is a party representing students and youth in Bangladesh. Formed after the success of the July 2024 movement, this party is contesting elections for the first time.

The party has not been able to expand its organization well due to lack of resources. The party's leaders have a strategy to convert the fame it earned during the street protests into votes.

The party's 24-point manifesto mentions progressive agendas such as a new constitution, judicial reform, a free press, universal health and education, and climate adaptation. The party is led by 27-year-old Nadih Islam, who was at the forefront of the July movement.

Awami League voters are decisive

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-2) has sentenced Hasina to death for her role in the crackdown and killings during the protests.

The Election Commission has disqualified Sheikh Hasina's Awami League from contesting the elections. The interim government has decided to ban the Awami League from political activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Hasina, who is in exile in India, has been opposing the move. Based on the mass organization and past election results, the Awami League is the largest party in Bangladesh.

Shafiq Alam, the press secretary of the chief advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, Mohammad Yunus, said that there is no need for much debate on the Awami League's non-participation in the upcoming elections. 'The government is clear about the Awami League.'

The activities of this party are banned and the Election Commission has cancelled its registration,' he told reporters on Wednesday. He said.

Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile, is saying that she will boycott the elections.

But, since the Awami League is not allowed to contest, where will the workers who voted for this party in the past go? Will the members of this party and former candidates file independent candidacies or boycott the elections? These issues have not been clarified.

In a situation where the country's largest mass organization is out of the elections, other parties are trying to attract its traditional voters.

Why was Tariq in exile?

On March 7, 2007, the interim government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed arrested Tariq Rahman from his home. He was initially arrested on corruption and money laundering charges.

During the investigation, he was accused of planning a grenade attack targeting Hasina on August 21, 2004. The attack on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka killed 24 people and injured more than 300.

Several other leaders of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami were also arrested in connection with the plot. In September 2008, the court released him on bail to go to London for medical treatment. He remained there.