Dhaka, Jan. 22 -- The election drums are beating louder, but so too are the sounds of unease.

Across Bangladesh, as nearly 2,000 candidates prepare to step into the formal campaign phase, the mood is not one of confident anticipation but of cautious calculation -- shaped by violence, whispered fears and a torrent of accusations flung between rival parties.

Above it all hovers the Election Commission (EC), offering assurances that the tracks to polling day will hold, even as the sprint for democracy enters its most perilous stretch.

From Thursday, 1,972 candidates will officially begin campaigning. They include nominees from major alliances, registered political parties, and a growing field of "rebel" and independent contenders.

They r...