Dhaka, Feb. 3 -- For decades, Rangpur was the unshakable heartland of the Jatiya Party, where the Ershad family's shadow dominated every ballot. Now, as the post-Uprising election approaches, that dominance faces its sternest challenge yet.

The Awami League, once a decisive force here, is absent from the contest following its ousting on Aug 5, 2024, and the turbulence that followed.

In its absence, Rangpur's six constituencies are bracing for fights that are, by local standards, unusually open -- some three-cornered, others head-to-head -- between the Jatiya Party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami.

What makes this election distinct, voters say, is Jamaat's clear assertion of strength in two seats -- an ambitio...