Election season always energises the political landscape, with parties actively preparing their election manifestos. A manifesto represents a political party's set of promises to the people—pledges they intend to fulfill if elected. As the nation awaits the much-anticipated national election scheduled for February, public enthusiasm and expectations are clearly visible, and political leaders and activists are showing a corresponding surge of excitement and activity. Many have already begun campaigning in hopes of securing their party’s nomination.
At the individual level, these campaign efforts often reflect the party’s manifesto, which is typically formulated at the central level. While an important question remains as to how much these promises actually influence electoral politics, it is undeniable that manifestos play a vital role in shaping positive public opinion on a national scale.
Voters today are far more conscious about their voting rights than in the past. This has been evidenced by multiple recent studies, which all point to a similar finding: a large segment of voters has yet to decide whom they will vote for. This marks a shift from previous election cycles and indicates a new reality.
These undecided voters are likely to cast their votes after careful consideration—evaluating not just the personal appeal or charisma of individual candidates, but also the manifestos of their respective political parties. A significant portion of these informed voters are young and will be voting for the first time. To appeal to them, political parties must pay close attention to the content and credibility of their election manifestos.
Voters are likely to favour those parties that break away from the traditional format and present manifestos that are development-oriented, practical, and aligned with public interest. For these young and aware voters, this year’s election manifesto will be more important than ever.
If we review past manifestos of Bangladesh’s political parties, we find that most remain unfulfilled. As a result, they have failed to truly reflect the aspirations of the general public.
We also observe a tendency among political parties to focus more on “mega projects” rather than on how their manifestos might actually improve people's quality of life. In the shadow of these large-scale projects, the dreams and needs of ordinary citizens often fade away. This inclination to equate development solely with mega infrastructure has led to projects—often cutting through the heart of cities—being held up as so-called symbols of progress, as seen during previous Awami League governments.
Even when such development efforts later collapse or fail to deliver, they often remain in the minds of party supporters as part of a grand ‘mega narrative’ of development. As a result, election manifestos tend to include various attractive but superficial portrayals of development, while aspirations for truly people-centric progress are overlooked. Instead, these narratives often serve the interests of a small, self-serving elite. Through this, an exploitative political and economic system gradually takes shape. Political parties must therefore break free from this tendency to build such extractive systems.
Beyond this, there are several identifiable reasons why election manifestos fail to reflect real-world outcomes. One key reason is the lack of proper research in the formulation of these manifestos. If a political party takes the initiative to move away from traditional practices and develops a manifesto based on data and evidence, it would undoubtedly gain an edge in election campaigns. This is because such a manifesto is far more likely to be realistic and can effectively address local problems. While this approach may not be evident in most parties, we do see some reflections of it in certain parts of the BNP's manifesto.
Without sustainable planning, development frameworks face various obstacles and often do not endure over the long term. Efforts to create development strategies tailored to the needs of local communities and cultures can help generate employment opportunities aligned with local demands. Therefore, election manifestos must clearly outline the necessary steps for building sustainable systems.
In addition, a major challenge lies in the lack of coordination between development projects and political transitions. This disjointedness reflects a broader absence of a unified vision for integrated national development.
To build the Bangladesh of our dreams, political parties must reach a consensus on core development goals—something that is currently missing. This lack of unity causes our vision for progress to become fragmented along political lines, revealing a glaring absence of long-term thinking and planning for the national interest. As a result, every political transition brings with it a shift in development priorities, disrupting progress and pushing us further back as a nation. On fundamental issues of national development, there should be no room for political disagreement.
Political parties must consider another crucial aspect while drafting their election manifestos: assessing the feasibility of proposed projects. Many projects have failed in the past precisely because this evaluation was neglected. Therefore, it is essential that election manifestos focus not only on realistic, long-term, and sustainable development proposals but also place special emphasis on industrialisation as a key component of national progress. In today's context, there is no alternative to industrialisation and technological advancement.
Unfortunately, universities often lack both the initiative and adequate budgetary support for technological innovation. As a result, our universities are unable to serve as centres or hubs for technological breakthroughs.
Another major weakness of traditional manifestos is their lack of clear implementation strategies or action plans. Because of this, they often fail to resonate with the general public, who, in turn, do not feel motivated to engage with or understand them. Manifestos must be able to connect with the public's mindset and clearly explain how proposed policies could impact individuals and society at large. With a clear understanding, citizens can hold political parties accountable.
Like in the past, the primary objective of election manifestos should not merely be to gain voters’ sympathy. Unfortunately, we have seen a trend where manifestos are drafted not for development, but for votes. This culture must change, and the responsibility lies squarely with the political parties. They must commit to actually implementing what they promise in their manifestos. Those parties that come forward with people-centric, feasible, and sustainable pledges will be the ones most likely to capture the attention of young voters this time around.
* Bulbul Siddiqi is Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University
* The opinions expressed are those of the author.