Prominent young losers included Dr Tasneem Jara, 31, who quit the NCP in December in protest against the alliance and contested the elections as an independent candidate from Dhaka. She received more than 44,000 votes but lost to the BNP candidate by a large margin.
“We have shown that it is possible to win people’s hearts through a clean and honest campaign,” Zara said.
“But our limitations have also become clear. For clean politics to survive, it must be strong. To protect a peaceful political model, we need to build a strong organization that is capable of withstanding any kind of threat.”
Citing her votes, she said there was hope and that she would not return to her practice in Britain.
“Our best days are still ahead,” he said.