The pentennial poster fest

It is election year.

And with less than a week before the big day on 7 January, if there is one thing abundantly visible in the capital Dhaka, it is the posters of the candidates running for the parliament.

This isn't limited just to the major cities and towns in the country.

On streets of Dhaka and across the country in towns, cities, and villages, posters adorn and occlude every available surface - encapsulating the fervour of the national election every 5-year

For generations, the Bangladeshi electoral landscape has been transformed into a living canvas, where political ambitions, promises, and aspirations manifest through an array of posters.

However, in this year's electoral saga, a fascinating evolution has emerged - a fusion of tradition and technology, where the tangible paper trails merge effortlessly with the digital domain, reshaping the contours of political campaigning.

Every lamppost, wall, and alleyway serves as a canvas for the striking portraits and messages of political contenders vying for the electorate's attention.

These posters are all over the place.

Many candidates even get the moniker of "poster boy" as theirs is found in every corner.

However, many of the ubiquitous posters now sport QR codes and barcodes - unlocking a digital dimension that transcends the physical realm.

These codes, when scanned, whisk voters into the virtual world of social media profiles, campaign websites, polling station details and personalised messages from the candidates themselves.

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Moreover, the surge of social media platforms has become an integral battleground for political outreach.

Hashtags reverberate across cyberspace, sparking conversations, debates, and discussions that echo the ardour permeating the traditional campaign trails.

Furthermore, SMS campaigns have emerged as an intimate and direct mode of interaction between candidates and voters.

Personalised messages, succinct yet impactful, find their way into the pockets of millions, forging a sense of proximity between the electorate and those aspiring to lead.

As the nation prepares to cast its vote, the amalgamation of traditional poster campaigns and the burgeoning digital presence signifies a transformative shift in Bangladesh's electoral landscape.

It reflects a nuanced understanding of the electorate's evolving needs, blending age-old campaigning tactics with the limitless possibilities afforded by technology.