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'We should wait for the outcome': MEA as polling concludes in Bangladesh
“...We should wait for the outcome to see what sort of mandate emerges,” the MEA spokesperson said.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday spoke about the ongoing Bangladesh elections, saying “we should wait for the outcome” of the polls.
“...We should wait for the outcome to see what sort of mandate emerges,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding that the issues would be looked into after the results.
Jaiswal reiterated India's stand on the polls in Bangladesh, saying that New Delhi had always stood for “free, fair, inclusive, and credible elections” in the neighbouring country.
The polling has concluded in Bangladesh, which is holding its first election since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the July, 2024 student uprising. The neighbouring country was since then being run by an interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami face off in Bangladesh polls
The counting after the conclusion of voting began around evening, with Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Tarique Rahman asserting confidence on defeating rival Islamist-led coalition, AFP reported.
Rahman, 60, can face a challenge from a coalition led by the country's largest party, Jamaat-e-Islami. The BNP, initially led by Rahman's mother and two-time PM Khaleda Zia, had faced a decline during the 15 years that Hasina was in power. Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December last year after the deteriorating health of his mother Khaleda, who passed away on December 30.
Meanwhile, Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman led a grassroots-level campaign for the polls, and has pitched justice and ending corruption as the promises for the elections. Shafiqur said his party will do “whatever is required” to ensure a fair result. The polling has concluded at 4:30 pm, with the first significant results expected to come in overnight, according to AFP.
Political leaders on both sides of the spectrum in Bangladesh have raised concerns regarding threats. However, the country's Election Commission officials have till now reported only “a few minor disruptions”.
