Around 7,000 activists have been arrested since November when the elections were declared. While the Opposition cites this as proof of the oppressive measures taken by the Hasina government ahead of polls, the government says that the arrests are for various other reasons and not to muzzle dissent.
Meanwhile hundreds of army personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order before and during elections. While many have welcomed the deployment of army men, many others say that more security measures might eventually favour the ruling Awami League because opposition voters and leaders might be arrested or driven away on the polling day.
This time the fight is between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and Kamal Hossain led Jatiyo Oikyafront (National Unity Front)- a coalition of four parties, the biggest one being Begum Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Kamal Hossain was also a minister of Awami league and served in the Mujibar cabinet. Later he fell with Hasina because he thought that Hasina was increasingly being intolerant of opposition and taking repressive measures against her detractors.
Sheikh Hasina, on the other hand, castigates the oppostion parties esp. the BNP and Jamat saying that their leaders are barriers on the country’s road to progress. She cites the development in Bangladesh under the ruling dispensation.
As for Sheikh Hasina, the tensions are palpable. Of course she is in a much better position, yet she knows that the dessent has spread beyond the opposition parties and this time it may not be a cakewalk for her. For one thing, the Jatiyo Oikyafront has the support of almost all opposition parties and accordingly of a huge support base. For another, many voters who are not Opposition supporters par se might vote against her because they feel that she is being ruthless to dissenting common people too.
Whatever may the outcome of the December 30 polls be, two things are obvious. One, Sheikh Hasina will try hard to cling to power she has been used to for such a long time. Two, the opposition parties know that if they fail this time, their future will hang in balance. So they are bent on fighting tooth and nail.
