Major political parties significantly intensified their campaigning activities on Friday to gain public support in their favour, as the timeframe for the 13th parliamentary elections and the referendum enters at its last week.
According to the Election Commission’s directives, all campaigning activities must stop by 7:30am on 10 February, leaving candidates and the political parties with only with four more days to take their messages to the people, heightening the urgency of the final stretch.
From busy city streets to village marketplaces, the country is now visibly in election mode. Loudspeakers play campaign songs, banners line the roads, and candidates address gatherings large and small, making their last appeals to voters in both urban areas and rural communities.
The BNP marked a key moment in the final week of campaigning by unveiling its election manifesto on Friday afternoon, promising a renewed focus on development, justice, welfare, women’s safety and human rights if elected.
The announcement drew attention nationwide as the party seeks to position itself as the main force for change.
In several districts, campaigns continued at full pace. In Natore and Pabna, large campaign bearing slogans such as “Come Together, Build Bangladesh” and “United Bangladesh” rolled through towns, drawing crowds and party supporters.
Preparations were also underway in Dinajpur’s Birampur area where the BNP’s chairman, Tarique Rahman, is scheduled to speak at a major rally today. Party members in the district were busy with seating arrangements, sound systems and volunteer briefings to ensure a high turnout.
Candidates from other political groups, including Jamaat-e-Islami also maintained visible ground campaigns. In various constituencies, local candidates interacted with voters, highlighting development plans and pledging solutions to community problems.
Several campaign events at the capital and in other parts of the country brought lively public engagement, with supporters waving flags and listening to speeches well into the afternoon.
However, the final phase of campaigning also saw tensions and isolated violence. In one incident reported on Friday at Teknaf, five people, including a child, were injured after unidentified individuals opened fire near a campaign gathering.
Local authorities have launched an investigation, and security forces are stepping up patrols in the area.
As the election week unfolds, people from all walks of life are preparing to cast their ballots in what many describe as one of the most closely watched political contests in the nation’s recent history.
With just five days to go, the battle for power has clearly entered its last and most intense stage.
