Sheikh Hasina, who is the current PM of the South Asian nation and the daughter of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is aiming to return to power for the third straight time.

Zia, however, has been barred from contesting polls. A convict in two graft cases, she is currently lodged in a jail in Dhaka since February this year.

The key battle will be contested hence between the opposition National Unity Front and Sheikh Hasina's Awami League and its alliance parties.

But there are strong evidences as reported in media of a nefarious interference of Pakistan and its spy agency in the polls.

A section of the media has claimed that Pakistan's spy agency Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) recently held a meeting with BNP leader Tarique Rahman ahead of the polls.

Times of Assam reported on Dec 6 that New Delhi, unfortunately, maintains total silence although ISI wants to see an anti-Indian political force in power in Bangladesh.

According to the report, ISI is seeing the upcoming election as a battle between Islamabad and New Delhi and also trying to have its loyalists in power.

To meet this goal, ISI officials have already held a meeting with BNP fugitive leader Tarique Rahman and Jamaat leader Barrister Abdur Razzak in London, promising all possible cooperation, the newspaper reported.

ISI has also been using its contacts in the US Capitol, including the US Senate and Congress with the agenda of getting Washington’s support towards BNP and Jamaat.

Referring to various intelligence reports, the newspaper said Jamaat is a terrorist organisation. It is having networks in a number of Western countries which include nations like the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Times of Assam also referred to comments of security analysts and fund realisation by pro-Jamaat organisations and coordinated activities of various radical groups to implement their common agendas and oust secular parties from power.

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been in exile in London, maintains close connections with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), sources also told Daily Asian Age newspaper.

Tarique maintains communications with the ISI through a Dubai-based BNP leader, who sent him a list of ISI-preferred candidates in 300 constituencies in the forthcoming election, sources told the newspaper. 

However, UK BNP President MA Malek termed the report as a 'rumor'. 

Sources told Blitz, Pakistani spy agency is going to spend over twenty million dollars and major segment of this fund would be spent on the Election Day. ISI wants a huge voter turnout while motivational campaign will be done through BNP and Jamaat encouraging voters to fearlessly go to the polling centers and cast vote. 

Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh and a distinguished fellow at the Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty was quoted as saying by Blitz: "Bangladesh has never voted an incumbent government back to power, except in 2014, when the BNP boycotted the election, giving Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League a walkover.”

Chakravarty further said, “Allegations against Hasina’s government include authoritarian governance, hounding of the opposition and rampant corruption. These issues and the India factor will dominate the electoral campaign.” 
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Commenting on India’s possible support towards ruling Awami League, Pinak Chakravarty was quoted as saying by Blitz, “As Bangladesh and India head for general election in 2018 and 2019 respectively, the India factor will also loom large, as the BNP [and Jamaat] is likely to pillory Hasina of kowtowing to India. "

"The main criticism will be that Hasina has given India too many concessions in return for precious little. While India will deal with any government in Dhaka regardless of its hue, it would strain the imagination to conceive of an Indian option to oppose Sheikh Hasina. There is, however, a growing feeling in policy circles in India that Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian impulses and taking India’s support for granted would not be in India’s interest.” 

However, The Economist Intelligence Unit, recently said the ruling Awami League might return to power after winning the Dec 30 polls.

US Envoy speaks on Bangladesh Polls:

US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl R Miller recently asked all parties to refrainf rom violence.

"We must eschew violence of any form," he was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.

"The United States continues to encourage a free, fair, credible, participatory, tolerant and peaceful national election," he said.

"We are concerned about the reports of violence, as I have said before... We all must eschew, avoid violence; and we all must condemn violence. That's the conversation we just had," Ambassador Miller said.

EU feels Bangladesh can host fair elections:

European parliamentary delegation ,which visited the country last month, expressed their hopes that Bangladesh could host free and fair polls.

"From what I heard while talking to political leaders of the country, I am confident that the coming elections in Bangladesh will be free and fair,’ Rupert Matthews, Conservative member of the European Parliament, was quoted as saying by New Age.

The EU parliament even decided not to send any observer to Bangladesh for the polls.