INTRODUCTION

While the national election of Bangladesh is nearing, there are signs of political tides moving towards that direction awakening all the stakeholders inside and outside the country. However, wonder to observe that no preventive measures have been articulated till date defining role and fate of minorities during the election in the country by any side, i.e. by neither of the government, political parties in the power & in the opposition and international communities. Thus the question of minority voting rights and their representation in the country's parliament is under big verge. In this regard, an attempt has been made in this article to draw a guideline providing factual datasheets and describing historical backgrounds, prevailing present situations and future propositions to get rid of declining fates of the minorities of Bangladesh .

The article depicts role of minorities as voters and as the elected representatives in the parliament in this country since 1954 till date. While discussed, their overall status over the years in terms of their quantity as voters and as representatives, practical degree of freedom for applying voting rights, hurdles pre & aftermath of the election, increase of atrocities during the election seasons etc. are addressed. A proposal has been made to find out a process which will ensure proportionate representation of minorities in the parliament. All these have been articulated to curb the increasing atrocities & intolerance on minorities which would hopefully pave the way for a democratically flourished Bangladesh .

NOTE FORM THE HISTORY

The British introduced the system of legislative assembly in 1936 in the undivided India where East Bengal was a province of the union. Upon the division of India in 1947, the system was poorly practiced in Pakistan where the present country of Bangladesh was a province in the name of East Pakistan . Despite ill election practice, the election of 1970 in Pakistan paved the way for an obvious emergence of Bangladesh replacing the province of the then East Pakistan . The parliamentary form of government through national election was constitutionally accepted in the newly borne country; however, the practice was interrupted due to imposing martial law for more than once at different regimes. The mass movement in 1990 was a breakthrough for reviving a real parliamentary form of government through election under a neutral caretaker government.

In spite of back & forth, several elections took place to form the legislative assembly in this part of Bangladesh form 1954 to 2001. Religious Minorities in East Pakistan during Pakistani regime and in present Bangladesh played crucial role in these elections as determinant factors over the years. Also there had been minority representatives in the legislative assembly in different numbers at different times.

MINORITY POPULATIONS IN BANGLADESH

On the day of division of India in mid August 1947, there were around 42 million populations of whom 29.5% were counted as to around 12.5 million minorities in the eastern part of Pakistan . Here Hindus are the majority with around 99% among the minorities and rest of them are Buddhists and Christians. However, number of minorities in this part started declining rapidly since then due to 2-nation theory. Because Pakistan was meant for Muslims, thus minorities (mainly Hindus) had to leave this country. During the whole Pakistan period from 1947 to 1971, there was tremendous migration of minority populations from Bangladesh .

There was a pause only upon the independence of Bangladesh from 1972 to mid 1975 while one of the main pillars of state policy was secularism. The migration process again got momentum due to thrown out of secular characteristics of the country after 1975. The table below showing percentage distribution of population by religious communities in Bangladesh depicts how minority populations declined here over the years: