"For most of his adult life, Rafiul Alam did not believe that voting was worth the walk to the polling station. He is 27, grew up in a middle-class neighbourhood of Dhaka, and became eligible to vote nearly a decade ago. He never did not in Bangladesh's national elections in 2018, nor in the 2024 vote. My vote had no real value, he said."
"This calculation began to shift for him in July 2024, when student protests over a government job reservation system favouring certain groups spiralled into a nationwide uprising. Alam joined marches in Dhaka's Mirpur area and helped coordinate logistics for protests, as Hasina's security forces launched a brutal crackdown. The United Nations Human Rights Office later estimated that up to 1,400 people most of them young may have been killed before Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, ending nearly 15 years in power."
Young people aged 18-37 constitute 44 percent of voters and played a decisive role in removing Sheikh Hasina. Many in that age group had become politically disengaged after years of contested elections and perceived lack of electoral impact. Rafiul Alam, age 27, exemplified this disengagement until July 2024, when student protests over a government job reservation policy escalated into a nationwide uprising. Security forces launched a brutal crackdown; the UN Human Rights Office estimated up to 1,400 people, mostly young, may have been killed. Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, and a national election is set for February 12, 2026.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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