Student Party

The Bangladesh student party election struggle intensified this month as the National Citizen Party tried to convert last year’s mass protest momentum into electoral gains ahead of the February vote. The group, led by several key figures from the uprising that removed longtime leader Sheikh Hasina, is finding it difficult to build national reach, raise funds, and keep early supporters engaged.

Despite drawing huge crowds when it launched earlier this year, the party now faces entrenched competitors with long standing political machines and broad networks. Opinion surveys suggest that support for the new movement has stalled, leaving it far behind …