Tasnim Jara, a 31-year-old doctor, returned from Britain to join Bangladesh's National Citizens' Party (NCP) but later quit over its alliance with Islamist groups. She is now contesting the parliamentary elections as an independent, driven by what she describes as a desire to build a "genuinely new political culture". Jara said the July uprising had "opened a window" for people like her to enter politics and help reshape the system. That optimism, she said, dimmed when the NCP aligned itself with Islamist forces. As voting concluded in Bangladesh's 13th parliamentary elections on Thursday, Jara told NDTV why this election matters to her and why it compelled her to return home. One of the most talked-about candidates in this election, Jara's journey from the UK back to the bylanes of Dhaka has drawn wide attention. Read | "Our Priority": Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami Chief To NDTV On India Ties She said two factors pushed her into el...
Of the 57 seats going to polls today, nine are from West Bengal, 13 from Uttar Pradesh, eight from Bihar, six from Odisha, four from Himachal Pradesh, three from Jharkhand, and the lone seat of Union Territory Chandigarh. All 13 seats of Punjab are also on today's list. The election is expected to be triangular, with INDIA allies Congress and Aam Aadmi Party having a "friendly" contest that is expected to split the non-BJP vote and play into BJP hands. Polling will also take place for the remaining 42 assembly seats and six Lok Sabha seats in Odisha. The BJP, which has replaced the Congress as the main Opposition party, is hoping to corner Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal. By-elections are being held on six assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh, which will also have a bearing on the fortunes of the state's Congress government. All six seats were held by Congress but the MLAs had turned rebel and cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election, resigned and joined the BJP...