51pc voters women, but few in JS race

Despite decades of pledges to ensure women's political empowerment, the upcoming national election presents a starkly different reality, with female representation on the ballot remaining alarmingly low, reports UNB.
More than 30 registered political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have fielded no female candidates, leaving women to account less than 4.5 per cent of all aspirants in the 13th parliamentary election.
Of the 2,568 nomination papers submitted for the election, only 109 were filed by women-just 4.24 per cent of the total, according to data reviewed by the news agency.
The election will see participation from 51 political parties, yet more than 30 of them, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, have failed to nominate even a single woman candidate, raising fresh concerns over gender inclusion in national politics.
After scrutiny, the Election Commission (EC) has validated 1,842 candidates, including 1,779 men and only 63 women, meaning women make up just 3.4 per cent of the final candidates.
Later, 417 candidates regained their candidacies after appealing to the Election Commission. January 20 was the last day for the withdrawal of candidacies.
According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 1,981 candidates, including 76 women, are contesting the 13th national parliamentary election, with women making up only 3.84 per cent of the total.
Meanwhile, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) noted that women make up only 3.38 per cent of party-affiliated candidates, while the share is 10 per cent among independent candidates.
Under Section 22(ka)-(gha) of the July 2025 National Consensus Ordinance, every political party was to nominate at least 5 per cent women candidates in the parliamentary election, gradually increasing to 33 per cent in future polls. But the ordinance has not yet been implemented, making the rule effectively non-binding.
Historical participation has remained low. According to Transparency International Bangladesh, women candidates accounted for 3.51 per cent (55 women) in 2008, 5.55 per cent (30 women) in 2014, and just 0.81 per cent (73 women) in 2018.
In the 12th Jatiya Sangsad, 20 women were elected, representing 6.67 percent, the highest in four consecutive parliaments.
In the 9th Jatiya Sangsad, women lawmakers accounted for 3.32 per cent, in the 10th Jatiya Sangsad 6.55 per cent, and in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad just 3.68 per cent.
Of the 51 parties contesting, only few fielded women aspirants.
BNP had nominated women for the highest 15 constituencies but now has 11 valid women candidates following scrutiny, after the rejection of Fatema Khanam's nomination (Natore-3) and non-scrutiny of three nominations of Khaleda Zia.
Other women candidates nominated by political parties include: nine from Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal-Marxist, six each from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Insaniat Biplab Bangladesh, five each from Ganasanghati Andolan and Jatiya Party, three each from Ganaodhikar Parishad (GOP), National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from mass uprising, nominated only three women out of its 44 candidates.
Others including AB Party, two each from Gonoforum and Biplobi Workers Party, 1 each from Bangladesh Muslim League, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal-Basosd, Bangladesh Republican Party, National People's Party (NPP), Aamjanatar Dal, Islami Front Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Labour Party, nominated female candidates.
During scrutiny, several women aspirants lost candidacy: three from Basad, and one each from Jatiya Party, Ganasanghati Andolan, Biplabi Workers Party, AB Party, NPP, and Bangladesh Labour Party.
Among 37 independent women aspirants, only six nominations were declared valid: Sabina Yasmin (Natore-2), Dr. Tasnim Zara (Dhaka-9), Meherjan Ara Talukdar (Jamalpur-4), Akhtar Sultana (Mymensingh-6), Tahmina Zaman (Netrakona-4), and Rumeen Farhana (Brahmanbaria-2).
Among the parties, 276 aspirants from Jamaat-e-Islami, 268 from Islami Andolon Bangladesh, 224 from Jatiya Party, 104 from Gano Odhikar Parishad, 94 from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, and other smaller parties, each with fewer than 40 aspirants, also have no female candidates.
In a recent report, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) noted that out of 51 political parties contesting the upcoming general election, 30 have not nominated a single woman candidate.
The report highlighted that one of Bangladesh's major parties, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has not fielded any women candidates in the constituencies where it is contesting.
While Bangladesh has previously had two female prime ministers and witnessed significant participation of women in the student-led movements of 2024, HRW noted that women in the country are still largely deprived of the right to participate meaningfully in politics.
Political parties must be held accountable for failing to nominate at least five percent women candidates in the upcoming national election despite pledging to do so under the July National Charter, said the Women's Political Rights Forum (FWPR).
The forum urged political parties to treat women's nomination as a constitutional obligation rather than a token gesture and called for structural reforms to integrate women into leadership roles and ensure a gender-responsive political system.