As Bangladesh prepares for its 13th Parliamentary election and referendum on February 12, the EC data showed that only 81 of the 1,981 candidates contesting across the country’s 300 parliamentary constituencies are women — just 4.08 per cent of the total — despite repeated political pledges to boost women’s participation. As Bangladesh prepares for its 13th Parliamentary election and referendum on February 12, the EC data showed that only 81 of the 1,981 candidates contesting across the country’s 300 parliamentary constituencies are women — just 4.08 per cent of the total — despite repeated political pledges to boost women’s participation.