Political parties hold rallies to show street power ahead of polls in Bangladesh

The ruling and the opposition parties in Bangladesh on Wednesday held big rallies in the capital Dhaka to show their strength ahead of the national election expected to be held in January 2024.

The rallies were held within a distance of one and a half kilometers in Dhaka as two high-profile US and EU delegations are visiting the South Asian nation "to support a fair and participatory election in Bangladesh."

Tens of thousands of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) supporters gathered in front of its headquarters in the Naya Paltan area of Dhaka.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir earlier asked the party supporters to join the grand rally to push for their one-point demand — the resignation of the government.

As part of the pre-poll understanding with BNP, 36 other political parties are participating in rallies.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League also held a gathering in front of the National Mosque Baitul Mukarram in support of holding elections under the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Additional police forces were deployed in Dhaka and at the city entrance points, with the opposition BNP alleging the police were harassing and preventing the opposition supporters from joining the rally.

US Undersecretary Uzra Zeya and US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu are leading the US delegation from July 11 to 14.

Another six-member EU Election Exploratory Mission, led by Riccardo Chelleri, arrived in Dhaka on Saturday on a 16-day visit to evaluate the pre-election environment and political situation in Bangladesh.