In East London’s Bangladeshi community, conversations about Bangladesh’s upcoming February 12 national election have intensified as expatriates gain the right to vote for the first time. The election follows the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the installation of an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has banned Hasina’s Awami League from contesting. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, now led by Tarique Rahman, and the Jamaat-e-Islami in alliance with the National Citizen Party are among the main contenders. For many in Britain’s large Bangladeshi diaspora, the vote carries emotional and symbolic weight after decades of exclusion.

Despite new rights, participation remains limited. Only about 32,000 Bangladeshi citizens in the UK have registered to vote, compared with millions in Gulf countries. Complex registration procedures, lack of awareness, and technological barriers have discouraged many, particularly older voters. Younger British Bangladeshis often feel detached from politics in Bangladesh, focusing instead on life in the UK. Some, however, view the election as a chance for long-awaited change, while others question its legitimacy after the Awami League’s ban.

The diaspora’s mixed engagement underscores enduring ties to Bangladesh alongside evolving identities rooted in Britain.