Relax. Elections Are Happening.

The past, they say, is a different country. The 1980s Britain, for example, was a very different country than what it is today. It is hard to imagine today, but back in 1984, the BBC refused to air a pop-song for suggestive, homoerotic lyrics. Relax, don’t do it, if you want to go to it -- grooved the Liverpool band Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

The song is apt for observers of Bangladeshi politics who seem to be latching from one reason to next to be pessimistic as they doomscroll social media.

Take the concerns about the violence that the Awami League goons were rumoured to unleash after Sheikh Hasina was sentenced by the courts on November 17.

Never mind the fact that the League has ceased to be a viable political force a decade ago, when the then prime minister decided to rely on her security apparatus and bureaucracy and do away with electoral politics altogether.

Never mind the fact that the entire League leadership either fled after July 36 or is in jail. Who were supposed to have organized these mass protests or demonstrations or even acts of sabotage?

In the event, there were a few acts of random arsons and vandalism, which seemed to have been brought under control quite easily. 

As it happened, Hasina’s supporters were not the only people who might have made trouble in the wake of the verdict. Goaded by the Paris-based Youtuber Pinaki Bhattacharya, a mob assembled with bulldozers to demolish what remains of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhanmondi.

Of course, the building was partly demolished by another mob back in February while the law enforcement agencies stood by in disgraceful cowardice. This time, however, they took their job seriously, and the crowd was dispersed eventually. 

This was the second time in a couple of months that Mr Bhattacharya failed to incite a riot. A few weeks ago, he made a dramatic call in the wee hours in Dhaka for a crowd to assemble and foist a coup attempt. Needless to say, there was no such attempt. And no one bothered to show up to thwart it. 

By all accounts, the social media doomsday panic-mongers continue to enjoy large viewership. But perhaps viewership isn’t the same thing as following. And social media clicks aren’t the same thing as politics. This is a point many in our political class would do well to remember.

More generally, just because Donald Trump or Zohran Mamdani (or any other foreign politician) achieved tremendous political success with adroit use of social media does not automatically mean Bangladesh will have a home-grown right (or left) wing populist demagogue (or people’s champion) based on their social media platform. 

Perhaps these social media influencers are best thought of as entertainers than political geniuses.

Unfortunately, it's not just the fire-breathing types in the social media that contribute to doomscrolling. There are people whose political ideology is very much moderate, liberal democracy, and whose analysis should lead to the conclusion that a peaceful democratic transition through a credible election is the most likely outcome for Bangladesh. Yet, somehow, they fail to reach this conclusion.

There is widespread scepticism among the chattering classes in Dhaka about the election. Why? Ask around, and it is difficult to understand. Does Professor Yunus want to stay in power for the long haul? The short and complete answer is: No.

Even if he wanted to -- which he didn't and doesn't -- it was never going to happen. A self-styled interim government was never going to remain in power against the expressed desire of the army and the largest political party (and the public, as per opinion polls) for an election before Ramadan 2026. 

Perhaps sensible pundits should reassess their prejudices and presumptions, and acknowledge that we are truly on course for an election. This is important because the election will offer us a choice between different visions for the future. Instead of chasing shadows about conspiracies, the public discourse should focus on the choice before us.

Of course, political parties are posturing and recalibrating their positions ahead of the election.

But a number of opinion polls show clearly that the contour of electoral politics have remained quite stable over the past year: BNP, unsurprisingly, is the largest party with widespread support across the country; Jamaat support has risen markedly, but remains concentrated in geographic regions; NCP has failed to break out; the Awami League still retains its core support base, particularly in the southern part of the country; and large number of voters will decide their mind closer to the election.

The political parties understand the landscape well. Politicians’ utterances on the campaign trail, or their positioning on issues, reflect their campaign strategy. It is simply silly to take every call seriously and panic.

Back in the mid-1980s, while BBC refused to play Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Hanif Kureishi wrote My Beautiful Launderette -- a poignant romantic comedy about inter-racial same-sex relationships with a happy ending. 

Bangladesh’s democratic transition under the interim government is slated for a happy ending too.