Dhaka, Jan. 31 -- Banners and festoons have brought an election look to Dhaka-11, but at roadside tea stalls the conversation is strikingly subdued. Voters talk less about manifestos than about fear: of clashes at polling centres, of "engineering" behind the scenes, and of whether their everyday problems will again be ignored once the ballots are cast.

The constituency straddles the northern bank of the Narai River, taking in Aftabnagar, parts of Banasree and Rampura, connected by narrow footbridges that locals cross daily. It was beside one such bridge in Aftabnagar, on Monday evening, that several residents shared their unease.

A part-time hardware shop worker from Banasree pointed towards Ideal School and College, a major polling cen...