In Dhaka, elections never arrive quietly. They spill into the streets, climb walls, wrap around poles and, sometimes, hang from the sky itself. As polling day draws closer, the city grows heavier with symbols and slogans. In Farmgate, one of the capital’s most crowded junctions, that weight is now quite literal.
Overhead electric lines, meant to carry power, have been turned into campaign space. From them hang scales, the election symbol of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, swaying above buses, rickshaws and rushing pedestrians. The sight is hard to miss. It is also hard to ignore what it represents.
With a few days left before voters go to the polls, campaigning has reached its most intense phase. Loudspeakers, banners and posters compete for attention. But alongside this familiar election noise, clear violations of the electoral code of conduct have become increasingly visible throughout Dhaka.
Election Commission rules are unambiguous. Political parties are not allowed to hang posters, banners or symbols on electric poles, power lines or trees. The use of plastic materials for campaigning is also banned. These rules exist to ensure safety, order and a level playing field. On the ground, those rules appear fragile.
At several points in Dhaka, Jamaat-e-Islami’s scales were found hanging directly from overhead power lines. Many of them appeared to be made of plastic. In some locations, larger bamboo replicas of the symbol were suspended from wires above busy roads, dangling low enough to draw the eye and close enough to raise concern.
In a city already notorious for tangled cables and electrical hazards, the added burden of campaign materials feels like a gamble with public safety. The violations did not stop there. Posters and billboards from other political parties were also tied to electric poles, turning essential infrastructure into unofficial notice boards.
But the placement of Jamaat-e-Islami’s symbols mid-air, strung across live power lines, stood out for both its visibility and its risk.
Such scenes raise uncomfortable questions. When breaches are this open and widespread, enforcement appears distant. Voters expect political parties to follow the rules they are given. They also expect the Election Commission to act when those rules are broken.
As campaigning enters its final days, the visibility of these violations has sparked quiet frustration among commuters and residents. The code of conduct exists to protect people as much as the process. Ignoring it weakens both.
The election is no longer just on walls and banners. It hangs overhead, swaying gently with the wind. The scales above the streets have come to symbolise more than a party’s mark. They reflect a growing imbalance between regulation and reality.
This is Part 1 of a three-part series on election code violations ahead of polling day.
