The number of undecided voters in Bangladesh has risen sharply ahead of the next national parliamentary elections, according to the latest “Pulse Survey 3” by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD).
The survey reveals that 48.5% of respondents are still unsure whom they will vote for, up from 38% in October last year.
Additionally, 14.4% of respondents said they do not want to disclose their choice, while 1.7% stated they would not vote at all.
The survey results were released on Monday morning at the National Archives Auditorium in Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. The event, organised jointly by BIGD and the civic reform platform Voice for Reform, assessed the performance of the interim government, reforms, elections, and the popularity of political parties.
When asked which party they would vote for if the election were held now, 12% named the BNP, 10.4% Jamaat-e-Islami, and 2.8% the National Citizen Party (NCP). Eight months ago, BNP stood at 16.3%, Jamaat at 11.3%, and NCP at 2%. This shows a slight decline for BNP and Jamaat, and a small rise for NCP.
Support for the Awami League (now banned from political activities) has dropped from 8.9% last October to 7.3%. The Jatiya Party’s share fell from 0.7% to 0.3%, while other Islamic parties declined from 2.6% to 0.7%.
However, when respondents were asked which party’s candidate they believe would win in their constituency, 38% named BNP, 13% Jamaat, 1% NCP, and 7% Awami League.
Presenting the findings, BIGD Fellow of Practice Syeda Selina Aziz said the survey covered 5,489 respondents from both rural and urban areas– 53% male and 47% female, with 73% from rural areas. The survey was conducted via telephone interviews between July 1 and 20, covering political, economic, and reform-related issues.
On the question of whether Bangladesh is moving in the right direction politically and economically, 42% said the country is on the right political track, and 45% felt it is on the right economic path. Compared to October last year, optimism about the economy has slightly increased (from 43%), but political optimism has dropped from 56%.
Respondents rated the interim government’s performance at 63 out of 100, down from 68 in October.
When asked about elections and reforms, 51% favored implementing significant reforms before holding elections, 17% supported limited urgent reforms, 14% preferred skipping reforms altogether, and 13% had no opinion.
As for the most-needed reforms (multiple answers allowed), 30% cited improving law and order, 16% improving the legal and judicial system, 17% curbing corruption, 16% boosting the economy or business sector, 13% lowering essential commodity prices, 10% reducing unemployment, and 19% each mentioned reducing political instability and reforming the electoral system.
Regarding election timing, 32% wanted elections before December this year, 12% by February 2026, 11% by June 2026, and 25% in December 2026 or later.
Finally, 70% believe the upcoming national election will be free, fair, and impartial, while 15% think it will not be, and 14% are unsure.
The survey findings were followed by a panel discussion with BIGD Senior Research Fellow Mirza M. Hassan and Dhaka University Associate Professor Asif Mohammed Shahan, moderated by Voice for Reform Co-Convener A.K.M. Fahim Mashroor.
