Dhaka. Political activity has intensified in Bangladesh, a country that holds a crucial position in South Asian politics, as it prepares for its 13th general elections scheduled for February 12. Amid biting cold and dense fog, the nation’s political temperature has risen sharply. The results of a recent major opinion poll have taken analysts across the region by surprise. According to the survey, following the demise of Khaleda Zia, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), under the leadership of her son Tarique Rahman, appears to be heading toward a decisive victory.
This extensive survey, conducted by Eminence Associates for Social Development, gathered the views of more than 20,000 voters across all 300 parliamentary constituencies in the country. The striking findings of the opinion poll show that nearly 70 percent of respondents have expressed support for the BNP, a figure being seen as a significant boost for the party. In comparison, Jamaat-e-Islami appears to have secured only 19 percent support. Most notably, the National Citizens Party (NCP), which emerged from the historic student movement against the Sheikh Hasina government in August last year, has received the backing of just 2.6 percent of voters. This clearly suggests that street protests do not always translate into electoral success.
