‘India had attempted to sabotage electoral process in Bangladesh’

DHAKA: In a historic turn, Bangladesh’s turbulent political saga reached a defining moment on Thursday as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) took a decisive step towards regaining power, marking the end of nearly two decades in opposition and signalling one of the most significant electoral transformations in the nation’s history.

The outcome was shaped by the return of Tarique Rahman, who came back to the country after 17 years in exile to steer the party through a campaign framed around restraint, reconciliation and political recovery.

As results became clearer, the BNP leadership urged supporters to observe nationwide prayers rather than take to the streets in celebration, signalling caution in a nation still emerging from years of political confrontation.

Thursday’s vote carried significance far beyond routine electoral politics. It was the first general election since the July 2024 uprising that ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina, a period critics had increasingly described as iron-fisted and intolerant of dissent.

For many voters, the election was less about party loyalty and more about reclaiming political space after prolonged polarisation and restrictions on opposition activity.

According to the Election Commission of Bangladesh (ECB), more than 127 million people were eligible to vote in the country of around 170 million, with 1,981 candidates contesting across 299 parliamentary constituencies nationwide. Voting was cancelled in one constituency following the death of a candidate.

Election officials said polling was largely orderly and passed off with comparatively low levels of violence, particularly when measured against Bangladesh’s past contested elections.

Not all political actors accepted the unfolding outcome without reservations. While Jamaat-e-Islami conceded defeat, its ally, the National Citizen Party, alleged irregularities and called for an audit before the final declaration of results.

The ECB, however, said it had received no evidence of systemic manipulation at the time of reporting.

As Bangladesh absorbed the scale of the political shift, international reactions followed swiftly.

Congratulatory messages were sent to Tarique Rahman by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as well as by the United States Ambassador to Bangladesh.

Diplomatic observers noted that the rapid outreach reflected regional and global interest in how Dhaka manages its post-Hasina transition.

In a post-election briefing, Lutfey Siddiqi, Special Envoy of the Head of Bangladesh’s Interim Government, alleged that India had attempted to sabotage the electoral process, without sharing specific operational details.

Responding to questions about the credibility of the vote, Siddiqi strongly defended the conduct of the election, saying that around 9,000 election observers from across the world had monitored the polling.

He maintained that the process remained free, fair and peaceful, adding that no major incidents of election-related violence were recorded. India has not responded to the allegation so far.

For decades, Bangladesh’s political life has revolved around two rival dynasties: the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, and the BNP, founded by Ziaur Rahman and later headed by his wife, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who passed away in December 2025.

The 2026 election has revived the BNP’s fortunes through the return of her son, while also reshaping the opposition landscape.

A broad 11-party alliance, spearheaded by Jamaat-e-Islami, is now set to emerge as the principal opposition force in parliament.

For the BNP, the mandate brings both opportunity and pressure. Bangladesh continues to face economic challenges, including inflationary pressures, foreign-exchange constraints and eroded public trust in institutions.

A strong parliamentary position gives the incoming leadership room to govern decisively, but expectations for stability, reform and political moderation are high.

For Bangladesh itself, the election closes a turbulent chapter marked by confrontation and upheaval.

Whether this transition leads to lasting political normalisation will depend not only on the scale of the BNP’s victory, but on how power is exercised in the months ahead – in parliament, in institutions and in the everyday lives of ordinary Bangladeshis.

Tarique Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has won 209 out of 297 seats announced by the BEC so far, according to unofficial results, which show Jamaat-e-Islami securing 68 seats.

Jamaat says it is not “satisfied” with the vote count and is raising “serious questions about the integrity of the results process”. Final results have not yet been announced by the ECB.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026