On the morning of February 9, a large crowd gathered near the Mirpur-1 Eidgah field.
The air was filled with commotion and the festive rhythm of a band party. Rickshaws and cars came to a halt, and pedestrians stopped to watch.
Suddenly, an open-top vehicle emerged from the crowd. A woman stood inside, waving to people lining both sides of the road.
A five-year-old girl standing with her mother on the sidewalk waved back.
The mother, Swapna Akhtar, said their house was nearby. Her daughter insisted on coming out after hearing the band. When they arrived, they realised it was an election campaign procession for Sanjida Islam Tulee.
As part of her campaign in the Dhaka-14 constituency, BNP candidate Tulee was touring several roads in the area.
On the final day of campaigning for the 13th National Parliamentary Election, her procession ended in front of the Mirpur Mazar. She later went to the party’s election office for meetings before heading home.
Including Tulee, 17 women candidates have been campaigning across 13 of Dhaka’s 20 constituencies since December 22, ahead of the February 12 polls.
Many of them have identities beyond politics. Some are engineers or doctors, others are rights activists, lawyers, businesswomen, or cultural workers. Some are backed by political parties, while others are running independently.
Dr Tasnim Jara, a physician and a familiar face on social media, is contesting as an independent candidate in Dhaka-9.
She has been campaigning with a small team of 10–15 people. With nearly 4.4 million followers on Facebook, Jara draws crowds wherever she goes.
At a recent campaign event in front of the South Banasree 10-storey market, residents approached her with local problems and complaints. Children, youth and women asked for selfies.
Jara listened patiently and obliged.
Dilshana Parul, a candidate from the National Citizen Party (NCP), was seen campaigning under the midday sun on dusty roads in Gazirchat, Ashulia.
While her team distributed leaflets in narrow alleys, a group of European Union observers arrived and spoke with her. She sat down for the interview, giving her team time to rest.
Although nearly half of Bangladesh’s voters are women, female representation among candidates remains low.
Of the 1,981 candidates nationwide, only 78 are women — just 3.93 percent.
In Dhaka, of the 190 candidates, 17 are women — around 9 percent.
Among them are three independents; two candidates each from NCP, Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist), and Insaniat Biplob Bangladesh; and one each from BNP, Ganosamhati Andolan, Gono Odhikar Parishad, AB Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Gono Forum, Jatiya Party, and National People’s Party.
Dhaka-7, 9, 10, and 12 have two female candidates each. Dhaka-1, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 18, 19 and 20 have one each, while seven Dhaka seats have no female candidates at all.
In some constituencies, women are challenging heavyweight contenders; in others, their presence signals alternative politics.
The list of female candidates includes: Antara Selima Huda (independent) in Dhaka-1; Shahinur Akhtar Sumi (SPB-Marxist) in Dhaka-5; Shahana Selim (JSD) and Seema Dutta (SPB-Marxist) in Dhaka-7; Meghna Alam (Gono Odhikar Parishad) in Dhaka-8; Tasnim Jara (independent) and Najma Akhtar (Gono Forum) in Dhaka-9; lawyer Nasrin Sultana (AB Party) and writer and activist Bohni Bepari (Jatiya Party) in Dhaka-10; Kohinoor Akhtar Bithi (independent) in Dhaka-11; labour activist Taslima Akhter (Ganosamhati Andolan) and Salma Akhtar (Insaniat Biplob) in Dhaka-12; Fatema Akhtar Munia (Insaniat Biplob) in Dhaka-13; Sanjida Islam Tulee (BNP) in Dhaka-14; Sabina Javed (NPP) in Dhaka-18; Dilshana Parul (NCP) in Dhaka-19; and Nabila Tasnid (NCP) in Dhaka-20.
Several candidates have long histories of activism. Taslima Akhter, now contesting in Dhaka-12, led multiple movements at Dhaka University, including protests against sexual harassment.
Since 2006, she has worked for garment workers’ rights and is now a key organiser of the movement.
Sanjida Tulee founded Mayer Daak while searching for her brother, who was a victim of enforced disappearance. Her activism helped bring international attention to enforced disappearances during the previous regime.
Meghna Alam, contesting from Dhaka-8, previously chaired the Miss Bangladesh Foundation.
She entered public focus last year after being detained without a case under the Special Powers Act. “That incident changed my life,” she told The Daily Star, saying it exposed the fragility of citizen protection and pushed her towards electoral politics.
Women’s rights activists warn that fewer women in parliament means the absence of half the population’s experiences in law-making. In a patriarchal society, women’s concerns are often sidelined in policymaking.
Shireen Pervin Huq, head of the Women’s Reform Commission, said political parties fail to properly evaluate women leaders. “There is a lack of internal democracy and leadership development for women,” she said, noting that no party fulfilled the promised 5 percent female nomination in the July Charter.
Taslima Akhter said contesting elections is extremely difficult for women in a patriarchal system. “Muscle power and territorial control dominate politics. For women, elections are part of the broader struggle for rights,” she said.
Candidates also pointed to online bullying, character assassination, and the use of social and religious bigotry as major obstacles.
Tulee said cyberbullying and fake news have become unbearable for female candidates, adding that the Election Commission lacks effective mechanisms to address the issue.
“Planned cyberbullying is a huge obstacle to the development of female leadership.”
Others noted that social conservatism often prevents women from entering large crowds due to the risk of harassment and security concerns, while speaking at rallies invites personal attacks.
Independent candidates face additional hurdles. Tasnim Jara’s nomination was initially cancelled as she decided to run as an independent, but later reinstated on appeal. Campaigning with the “Football” symbol, she relies on crowdfunding and volunteers.
“If even one seat proves honest politics can win without muscle power or excess spending, it will change our democratic grammar,” she said.
Despite the challenges, many candidates say strong family support keeps them going. They hope the next parliament will better reflect women’s voices.
The choice of Dhaka’s 8.47 million voters — including 4.12 million women — will determine how many of the city’s 17 female candidates make it to the next parliament.
“Regardless of the outcome,” Shireen Huq said, “the courage with which women are campaigning is inspiring. It will encourage many more to enter politics in the future.”