Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters attended a succession of rival rallies across the sprawling capital Dhaka, as parties sought to harness the legacy of the mass uprising and pitch competing visions of change for the country of 170 million in Thursday’s election.

The South Asian nation will elect a 350-seat parliament, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – led by Tarique Rahman, who returned in December after 17 years in exile – widely tipped as a front runner.

The BNP’s key rival is Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party that is led by Shafiqur Rahman and has allied with the National Citizen Party (NCP) that was formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising.

Prime ministerial hopeful Tarique Rahman appeared confident as he bounced on stage to address a crowd of thousands of BNP loyalists who waved flags and the party symbol, a sheaf of rice, and greeted their leader as if at a rock concert.

“The BNP alone has a plan to run the country and the experience to do so,” he said, referring to his late parents, Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, who both led the nation.