Savar - Politics

Politics

Several Hindu families played a critical role in the development of the township during the British Raj in the 19th and first half of the 20th century. After partition of India in 1947, the Hindu influence in the area waned following the departure of many prominent Hindu families. The 1960s saw the establishment of some important institutions, including a dairy farm and a University in the area. Concurrently, communist politics was on the rise in the area. However, this was replaced with Bengali nationalist zeal, when the Awami League won the 1970 election in this constituency. In 1975, Savar came to the spotlight when the Maoist leader Shiraj Shikdar was secretly tortured and executed at Savar cantonment. Savar was politically important to the military dictators of the mid-1970s and '80s, as the cantonment armory here was the closest one outside the capital. From the 1990s to mid-2000s, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate has been routinely elected to parliament from this constituency. However, Awami League and other parties; Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Worker's Party(Menon), National Awami Party, Sammobady Dal (including several Islamist ones) continue to have grassroots presence. The general election at the end of 2008 saw an Awami League candidate elected to parliament from this constituency. Jahangirnagar University and a few colleges in the area serve as a hotbed of active student politics and strife. Foreign dignitaries customarily visit Savar as a part of their trip to Bangladesh to pay respect to the martyrs of 1971 at the Jatiyo Smriti Soudho.