Women, minority representation at two-decade low in Bangladesh

As the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a landslide victory, the 13th national polls have recorded the lowest representation of women and ethnic minorities in Bangladesh in over two decades. Only seven women have been directly elected to Parliament, while representation from religious and ethnic minority communities has also fallen, with just four candidates elected.

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Of the seven women elected, six are BNP nominees. The seventh is an independent candidate who was expelled from the BNP ahead of the polls.

This election marks a significant decline in women’s representation in the national Parliament compared to recent polls. In the 12th national election in 2024, 19 women won general seats. The numbers were higher in the two preceding parliaments, with 22 women elected in 2018 and 18 in 2014. The highest figure in the past two decades was recorded in 2008, when 19 women were elected. The latest polls have produced the lowest number since 2001.

According to Election Commission data, only 84 women contested the election accounting for barely 4.08% of the total candidate pool. Among party nominees, the BNP fielded 10 women, the National Citizen Party (NCP) three, the Jatiya Party six, and Gono Odhikar Parishad three. Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh did not nominate any woman candidates.

The four candidates from religious and ethnic minority communities who won the election are from the BNP. They are Goyeshwar Chandra Roy (Dhaka-3), Nitai Roy Chowdhury (Magura-2), Saching Pru (Bandarban), and Dipen Dewan (Rangamati).

In both the 2014 and 2018 parliaments, 18 minority members were directly elected. In the 2024 parliament, 14 minority candidates won, including 12 from the now-banned Awami League. In the latest polls, the BNP nominated six minority candidates, but two — Kapil Krishna Mandal in Bagerhat-1 and Somnath Dey in Bagerhat-4 — were defeated. At least 79 minority candidates contested the election, with 22 of the country’s 60 registered political parties nominating 67 minority candidates and 12 others running as independents.

M. Zakaria, an author and political analyst, told The Hindu that comparisons with previous regimes or elections are not entirely appropriate. He said the last three elections were neither participatory nor competitive, and that women’s representation during those polls was largely the result of selection by the ruling government rather than electoral competition. However, he acknowledged that representation of women and minorities remains low.

“As the electoral process gradually improves, this is a critical area that needs attention going forward,” he said. “Women and minorities themselves need to adapt to the changing political landscape and push these issues to the forefront so that political parties are compelled to ensure greater representation within their internal structures. That, in turn, will gradually empower them and allow for a larger share of representation.”