In B’desh, Beyond Poll Victory

Far too predictably, Awami League leader Hasina Wajed has led her Awami League to the fourth consecutive win in the violence-marred January 7 parliamentary elections that were boycotted by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the key opposition. The boycott call contributed to the low voter turnout of a disputed 41 per cent as against 80 per cent turnout in 2018. The Awami League obtained three-fourths of the total parliament seats and most of the remaining winners were “independent” candidates known to be from the ruling party. Hasina fielded scores of her party members as independent candidates to avoid an embarrassment of an opposition-free parliament.