The elections were free and fair with sporadic violence, though the 42 per cent voter turnout showed apathy among the people.
The BNP greeted the result by calling for a nationwide general strike. The BNP had boycotted the election in 2014 and failed miserably in 2018, blaming the Hasina government of massive rigging. This time around, it tried its best to put pressure on the government by calling for hartals and unleashing violence. These tactics failed to deter the Hasina government. One reason for the BNP’s boycott is a leadership contest that would dilute the control of its exiled vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, apart from the fact that the BNP on its own cannot get a majority anymore. Its ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami, a collaborator of the Pakistani army in the genocide of 1971, remains banned.
This story is from the January 22, 2024 edition of India Today.
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This story is from the January 22, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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