Dhaka: The chandeliers cast a warm glow over the ballroom of Hotel Sheraton in the afternoon before polls are to open for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad. A gaggle of foreign journalists and a couple of election observers milled about the cavernous hall, mikes in hand. At the centre of it all stood Dr Shafiqur Rahman, the ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a white tupi on his head, fielding questions from the press corps that had gathered around him.It was a scene that would have been unimaginable just 18 months ago. The Jamaat-e-Islami, banned under the previous government and stripped of its election registration, is now positioned as a serious contender for power.After a court lifted the ban in 2025, the party re-emerged after years of being driven underground. The 67-year-old doctor was largely invisible. Now the party’s ‘dari palla’ or scales symbol, along with his bearded face, appeared on stark black-and-white banners across the country.The composition of the foreign press corps itself told a story. While fewer than a dozen Indian journalists had come to cover the polls, the Pakistani media contingent was notably larger. Direct flights between Dhaka and Pakistani cities had resumed, visas were being issued again and Pakistani reporters were back in Bangladesh after years of restrictions.As Rahman entered the hall, reporters surged forward. A Pakistani journalist moved to embrace the Jamaat leader. Rahman gestured toward the cluster of Indian reporters nearby. “You are from Pakistan, these are all from India. So you must embrace them,” he said, a smile visible.Jamaat ameer Shafiqur Rahman at the Sheraton Hotel in Dhaka on the eve of polling on February 11, 2026.He began to move through the crowd, stating as he went, “We want good friendship in this region.” But escape was impossible. Journalists lobbed questions from all sides, shouting over one another to be heard.Rahman’s answers were notably guarded. When asked if he saw himself as prime minister, he looked up, pointed his finger toward the ceiling, and said, “I don’t know. That will be decided by divine power.”Questions about India came quickly. The neighbour to the west has watched the Jamaat’s rise with concern, given the party’s history of opposing Bangladesh’s 1971 independence from Pakistan and recent anxieties in New Delhi about the treatment of minorities under a potential Islamist-led government. Rahman said no invitation to visit India had been extended yet and any visit would be decided later.In his prepared remarks, Rahman had laid out his approach to the region. “With our neighbours, it’s our mandatory obligation or duty to maintain a harmonious relations with mutual respect, trust, dignity and faith. Hopefully we maintain this,” he said. He added that the Jamaat’s policy was “not to incline to any certain country, but to maintain warm relations with all the friends who are real partners in our development era and we respect them. Similarly, we desire respect from them also.”Rahman repeatedly rejected the term “minority” when asked about Hindu, Buddhist and Christian communities, a question reflecting widespread concern among religious minorities about their fate under Jamaat rule. “We never admit any minority label. They are the citizens of Bangladesh. We never endorse this,” he said. “Who are minority? One who is Hindu, Buddhist or Christian, who are minority? They are the citizens of Bangladesh.” He insisted there would be no second-class citizens under the Jamaat and promised equal rights and security for every citizen.The questions about women followed. Rahman had drawn controversy over a recent social media post stating that pushing women out of the home in the name of modernity amounted to a “form of prostitution”. The post sparked protests at several universities.A party spokesperson had reiterated to The Wire earlier that the account had been hacked. “Jamaat ameer’s wife is a medical doctor. And his two daughters are medical doctors,” he said. “So, how come that he can call his wife and two daughters who are doctors as prostitutes? One of them is practicing in the UK.”In his speech to the assembled media, Rahman said: “We are very much respectful to the women’s right and their equal access to every sphere of the country.”There has been a lot of suspicion over any intention the Jamaat may have to curb the role of women outside their homes. The party has not fielded a single female candidate.When pressed on whether the election process had been free and fair so far, Rahman again deflected. “That will be decided by the total environment of the country. There are so many stakeholders in the process of election conduction. So if I pass any comment today, it will be immature. So far, any immature delivery will not give a better result.”Under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, authorities jailed top Jamaat leaders, some of whom were sentenced to death for 1971 war crimes, and banned the party. Rahman was arrested in 2022 for allegedly assisting members of a banned militant outfit and spent 15 months in jail. After the uprising and court ruling lifting the ban, the Jamaat returned to active politics.A campaign kiosk of the Jamaat in Dhaka stands empty on the eve of polling.Earlier in the day, a Jamaat spokesperson claimed that the party’s support had jumped from what he called a “base support” of 20% before the July revolution to between 35% and 40% now, citing International Republican Institute surveys. “Suddenly Jamaat’s popularity is rocketing,” he said. “Why suddenly? Jamaat didn’t have that sort of popularity before.”However, observers had claimed that the hardcore Jamaat voter was largely in the single figures percent before the July uprising. The role of the Chatra Shibhir, the Jamaat’s student wing, during the 2024 students’ movement had led to an upsurge in its popularity among the youth, with the Jamaat capturing the students’ union in one university election after another.When asked about female voters specifically, the senior party member claimed women believed “they will be much more protected during Jamaat’s tenure”. A journalist pushed back immediately. “Is that the protection that they are seeking, or is that the protection that you want to give them?” The representative insisted women wanted this protection, particularly those in corporate jobs leaving work at 8 or 9 at night. “So, they think that if Jamaat is in power, it will be secure.”Asked about attempts to win over Awami League voters, the representative said the Jamaat was targeting all voters, but added: “The Awami League members who are involved in business in the local area, they will prefer Jamaat to protect their business, to protect their interest. So, Jamaat most likely will get a significant number of Awami voters.”The Awami League, which had governed Bangladesh for 15 years under Hasina, is not contesting the election. The direction in which its traditional voter base, which analysts believe remains intact and is between 10% and 25% of the electorate, would be critical in the victory of any party.BNP sounds alarm on eve of voteThe Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had gathered in the same Sheraton ballroom 24 hours earlier with the foreign media. Both events fell during the mandatory two-day campaign blackout before polling.The dinner drew a larger crowd, with music playing in the background. Party leaders had privately expressed concern about potential interference in the vote. The phrase “vote engineering” had already been in circulation on social media and in newspaper columns.At a press conference on Wednesday, BNP spokesperson Mahdi Amin alleged that “a certain group” was attempting to create “various obstacles” to block what he described as the party’s “inevitable victory”. Referring to the detention of the Thakurgaon district Jamaat ameer at Saidpur airport with more than half a crore taka in cash, he questioned both the source and the timing.“With commercial activities suspended nationwide for four consecutive days, it does not require expert analysis to understand that such a large sum cannot be for legitimate business purposes,” he said. He called the incident a violation of the electoral code of conduct and proof of “moral bankruptcy and unethical influence attempts”.He added that the Saidpur episode “cannot be viewed as an isolated event”, alleging similar instances of illegal financial transactions in Dhaka-15 and in districts such as Cumilla, Noakhali and Khulna. Amin also claimed that Jamaat activists had earlier gone door to door collecting voters’ bKash numbers and voter IDs in order to send money digitally, an attempt he said voters had rejected.The BNP leader further alleged stockpiling of domestic weapons and intimidation of voters in several constituencies. He cited an attack in Bogura-4 in which a local BNP leader was severely injured and demanded that the Election Commission and law enforcement agencies treat such incidents with “utmost seriousness”.The BNP’s press conference in Dhaka on February 11, 2026.He also alleged attempts to manipulate voter identity at polling stations. Referring to reports of increased manufacturing of burqas and niqabs in parts of the country, Amin said that while the BNP respected Islamic attire, it would oppose any misuse of such dress to cast fake votes under false identities.“If anyone misuses this Islamic attire to cast fake votes under a false identity, that must be resisted,” he said.In Cumilla’s Muradnagar, a Jamaat local leader, Habibur Rahman Helali, was detained over alleged cash distribution, with Tk 200,000 reportedly recovered.The Jamaat rejected the accusations. Party spokesperson Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair described the airport detention as a “staged drama” intended to discredit the party and said carrying cash for business purposes was not a crime when banks were closed. He also alleged threats and attempts to create confusion ahead of polling.Jamaat leaders in Cumilla claimed the money had been planted in his vehicle by BNP activists posing as locals.The Jamaat ameer had also posted on his verified Facebook page that just as the nation was preparing for a fair, impartial and acceptable election, “some are spreading various kinds of misinformation”. He alleged that a group “scared of the Jamaat’s popularity and public support” was attempting to mislead voters, though he did not directly mention the airport detention in the post.Later in the day, leaders of the Jamaat, the National Citizen Party and the 11-party alliance met Election Commission secretary Akhtar Ahmed to lodge complaints over the detention and what they described as other irregularities. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Zubair said the Jamaat would not leave the electoral field “under any circumstances” and alleged threats, attacks and unequal distribution of body-worn cameras at polling centres.Ahmad also told reporters he had been misquoted in reports suggesting that it would be fine to carry large sums of cash. “I do not have the authority, right or power to say this, and I did not say it,” he told reporters.Hours before polls opened, the Election Commission dismissed rumours that voting might not take place. In a notice, it urged voters not to be misled and said polling would proceed between 7:30 am and 4:30 pm in 299 constituencies. The commission said law enforcement agencies were working to ensure safety.Later on Wednesday night, the poll body issued a separate statement warning of “strict action” if proof of vote buying emerged. “Vote buying is a punishable offence under the law,” the statement said, adding that anyone found involved in vote trading would face action. The warning followed a BNP delegation meeting Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin and accusing the Jamaat of distributing money to influence voters.Tensions also surfaced at a polling centre in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj area on the eve of voting. A BNP candidate alleged that the presiding officer and Jamaat activists had attempted to seal ballot papers overnight. A video showing ballot papers on the floor circulated on social media, fuelling claims of tampering.Traffic is sparse on the eve of polling in Dhaka.A quiet capital before the voteEven as political rhetoric intensified, Dhaka itself appeared subdued. With vehicle restrictions already in place, roads in parts of the capital were largely empty on the eve of the vote.Walking towards a park in Gulshan with a guitar slung over his shoulder, a 20-year-old second-year college student who gave his name as Sunny said he did not plan to vote as he had not yet received his national ID card. On the eve of polling, he was keeping his usual evening routine of playing music with friends.“If Jamaat comes to power, there may be problems with music … I heard,” he said.His friend Zeeshan, 19, said he planned to download his identity documents later that night. “Who will I vote for? Maybe BNP,” he said after a pause. Asked why, he replied: “They have a lot of senior leadership.”Nearby, five older friends sat by a roadside kiosk. Introducing himself by a single name, Taimur, a healthcare entrepreneur, said he planned to travel early the next morning to his constituency in Bikrampur, outside Dhaka, to cast his vote. He, too, said he would back the BNP. “We are not as religion-minded as people in India think,” he said.Among them, there was a broad expectation that the BNP would win comfortably. They speculated that many Awami League voters would drift towards Tarique Rahman. When it was pointed out that this would require Awami League supporters to turn out, one quipped in a tongue-in-cheek reference to past allegations of missing votes: “Doesn’t matter if they don’t come out this time. They didn’t last time either.”Photos by Devirupa Mitra.