To shift allegiance or not: Supporters of Hasina's banned party caught in tough spot as Bangladesh polls near

The heightened electioneering in Bangladesh has reportedly sparked worry among supporters of the banned Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina.

Published on: Jan 24, 2026, 10:40:25 IST

By HT News Desk

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Campaigns have intensified, streets are bustling with processions and parties are on ground reaching out to voters in Bangladesh, with just weeks left for the high-stakes elections, the first since the Sheikh Hasina-led government was overthrown in 2024.

Sheikh Hasina, 78, was ousted as the prime minister of Bangladesh in August 2024 after a massive student uprising. (AP)

The heightened electioneering in Bangladesh has reportedly sparked worry among supporters of the banned Awami League, with many wondering what the party's political future would look like.

According to reports, the Awami League has been banned from contesting the elections, making it a two-way contest between Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party.

Worry takes over Hasina's bastion

Some Hasina supporters are now struggling to decide whether to shift their allegiance, reported news agency AFP. "Sheikh Hasina may have done wrong -- she and her friends and allies -- but what did the millions of Awami League supporters do?" a tricycle delivery driver Mohammad Shahjahan Fakir, 68, was quoted as saying.

The biggest worry has spread across Gopalganj, a Hasina bastion where the Awami League has historically found the most support. Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was buried here after his death and even as his statues were vandalised across Bangladesh during the 2024 uprising against the Awami League-led government, the ones in Gopalganj remained well-maintained.

"There's so much confusion right now," said Mohammad Shafayet Biswas, 46, a banana and betel leaf seller in Gopalganj. "A couple of candidates are running from this constituency -- I don't even know who they are."

Also Read: Bangladesh 'blood-soaked, on edge of abyss': Ex-PM Hasina in message at Delhi event

Sheikh Hasina, 78, was ousted as the prime minister of Bangladesh in August 2024 after a massive student uprising and has been in exile in India ever since. In November last year, a Bangladesh tribunal sentenced her to death in abstentia after it found her guilty on charges of crimes against humanity involving the student protests.

Awami League out of poll contest

With Hasina still in exile, Bangladesh is all set to hold elections on February 12 and with the Awami League banned from the contest, frontrunners are from the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami this time.

Expectedly, Hasina's supporters have opposed the elections, questioning if the “one-sided” contest would be sustainable. “If they want to force it (elections) on the people of the country, it will happen. The question is, what will be the consequence of such a waste of public funds? Will the government, whoever comes after this one-sided election, be sustainable? That is the question,” Awami League leader Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Also Read: Fair polls impossible in Bangladesh under Yunus govt: Awami League

However, Nowfel continues to carry hope for his party, given its history of being in the opposition and later managing to come back to power.

Hasina's big appeal to Bangladesh from India

In her first public address to a gathering in India, Sheikh Hasina trained guns at the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus and urged the people of Banlgadesh to oust his regime.

“In this grave hour, the entire nation must rise united and galvanised by the spirit of our great Liberation War," Hasina reportedly said, further adding: “To overthrow the foreign-serving puppet regime of this national enemy at any cost, the brave sons and daughters of Bangladesh must defend and restore the Constitution written in the blood of martyrs, reclaim our independence, safeguard our sovereignty, and revive our democracy.”

She referred to Yunus as a “corrupt, power-hungry traitor” and alleged that a conspiracy was hatched to oust her as PM back in 2024.

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