The Election Commission has announced the schedule for the 12th parliamentary election defying all odds, and fixed January 7 as the polling day. The Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal himself declared the polls schedule in an address to the nation. The schedule has been widely hailed by most of the EC-registered political parties including the major ones like Awami League, Jatiya Party etc. That BNP would reject the schedule was a foregone conclusion because BNP has long been crying out for an election to be held under the auspices of what they call “Caretaker Government” which is, however, neither permissible under the provisions of the Constitution, nor is it a reasonably practicable proposition at this moment in time. If BNP had been able to make their demand of the so-called caretaker government widely acceptable by all other parties and waged a mass movement in support of their cause, things might have taken different twists and turns. BNP’s one-point movement for ousting Sheikh Hasina Government has also rung hollow. As a matter of fact, in question of overthrowing the government, all parties should remain united and go all-out to achieve the goal. And that’s not as easy as falling off a log.

BNP could do nothing like that. They could neither achieve their target by making every political endeavour, nor did something of a miracle happen to them. As a matter of fact, in the chess of politics, BNP has once again been checkmated. If the EC had postponed announcing the polls schedule even for the time being, BNP could have been able to buy some time to reach an honourable compromise with other stakes in the ensuing polls. Their being hell-bent on the time-torn Caretaker Government, weak and divided leadership, knee-jerk political decisions and their abortive implementation and above all too much dependence on foreign masters have been a recipe for their present political disaster. Their own people are saying that BNP’s stubborn boycott of the previous two national elections has made them suffer catastrophic effects on their politics. Besides, the legacy of “the dark prince and his Hawa Bhaban” is always having a corrosive effect on BNP’s immature politics.

The announcement of the election schedule will surely dampen BNP’s spirits. It’s public knowledge that the US has tilted in favour of the BNP. US Department of State’s (DOS) three diplomatic personnel—Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu and Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D. Haas seem to have moved heaven and earth to knock the government out of the perch and place BNP on it. The sanctions they imposed on Bangladesh are more for the Bangladesh government’s noncompliance with the US design than anything else. BNP swears its loyalty to the US to such an extent that they did not even let a single word pass their lips which might go against Zionist interest in the Gaza agony issue while all the people of Bangladesh stood against US-backed Israel and expressed sympathy for the Palestinians.

While Ambassador Peter Haas, in the wake of the announcement of the election scheduls, left Dhaka for Colombo at short notice, rumours sweep the country that BNP is going to meet their Waterloo. However, Haas, during departure harped on the same old tune that the US looks forward to seeing a “free, fair and inclusive” election in Bangladesh. What Haas said continues to reverberate through the political arena of the country and all are expecting to see a flawless election. A deviation from this must backfire on the incumbent government more than anybody else and the government should be aware of this.

It’s really a vexing thing that the US, seemingly leaving aside all other business, is paying all attention to what is happening in Bangladesh surrounding the upcoming polls. The forthcoming 12th parliamentary election is not the only election taking place in the world in 2023. We know that the 2023 calendar is completely full of general elections across the world and Myanmar, Finland, Paraguay, Thailand, Turkey, Guatemala, Cambodia, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Poland, Spain are going to the polls this year. Besides, 2024 is going to be the largest election year in history.  But the US does not seem to be interfering in anybody else’s internal affairs except for Bangladesh. It also seems that they will withdraw all allegations from the Hasina government, if they can be assured that Sheikh Hasina is going to be beaten by the BNP in the next election. Such unabashed interest in the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign country is unprecedented in modern times.

Given the situation, BNP seems to be caught in a cleft stick. The only way left before BNP and its allies is to go down on bended knee and prepare themselves to go to the polls. Or they might put up a violent resistance like before and go on the rampage setting fire to vehicles, killing people and damaging the country’s economy. This will, however, not be as easy as before, because the general public have developed a profound hatred for violence in the name of strikes and blockades for whatever reasons they may be. On the other hand, the government is going all-out to make sure that elections are held on time uninterrupted and there is no stopping it in the name of strikes or blockades. So, BNP will not be able to continue to carry out violence much as Jamaat supports them. The brutal killing of the policeman on October 28, 2023 the video of which went viral, sent shock waves through the world. BNP’s continued debacle in the last one and a half decades, especially in the last two elections (2914 and 2018) has completely ruined BNP’s chances of revival. Cracks and fractures are appearing in the party every day. Several factions have already split on the eve of the election. The Trinomool BNP is beginning to revive and is expected to win a stiff competition.

An election is always better than no election. Election greases the wheels of democracy. Without election, the country risks becoming a failed state like Pakistan or Afghanistan. Bangladesh is not a failed state nor would it be. It stands poised to hold the 12th parliamentary elections and we all look forward to seeing it happen.

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Dr. Rashid Askari is a freethinking writer, academic, translator and former vice Chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh