As the national election draws closer, Dhaka-4 (seat no. 177) has emerged as one of the capital's most closely watched constituencies, despite the relatively low public profiles of most candidates.
With a large voter base, persistent civic crises and a crowded field of contenders, the constituency is commanding growing public attention. Dhaka-4 encompasses industrial zones, residential neighbourhoods and densely populated working-class areas, home to large numbers of young voters, labourers and lower-middle-income families. As a result, issues such as employment, public services, transport, environmental hazards and public security dominate voter concerns.
Residents say problems here are chronic and deeply rooted. The area's dense population-comprising workers, professionals and small traders-faces daily hardships. Waterlogging, narrow and broken roads, shortages of clean drinking water, mosquito infestations, drug abuse, extortion, and irregular gas and water supply have become part of everyday life.
Many locals complain that despite being under the Dhaka South City Corporation, their neighbourhoods remain neglected. "Deprivation has become routine," said one resident, reflecting a widely shared frustration.
Discussions with voters across the Shyampur and Kadamtali police station areas suggest that Dhaka-4 suffers from nearly every major civic problem seen elsewhere in the capital. Yet, amid frustration, a sense of cautious hope has surfaced ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Voters say they want action, not rhetoric, from whoever wins the seat.
Eight candidates are contesting the constituency: Mohammad Firoz Alam of the Bangladesh Communist Party, Mohammad Zakir Hossain of the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Sahel Ahmed Sohel of the Bangladesh Cultural Liberation Alliance, Md Abul Kalam Azad of Janata Dal, independent candidate Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Syed Md Mosaddek Billah of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Tanvir Ahmed Robin of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Syed Zainul Abedin of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
