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Bangladesh votes in first election after Gen-Z revolt ousted Hasina: 10 key points as Dhaka decides its future
The election is unlike previous ones marred by BNP-led opposition boycotts and bans on Jamaat-e-Islami during Sheikh Hasina's time.
In the first election in almost two years since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's regime in a Gen-Z protest movement, Bangladeshis lined up outside polling booths on Thursday for a return to democracy. Analysts say a decisive result is crucial for steady governance in the nation of 175 million or 17.5 crore.
Here are 10 key points you need know to understand the Bangladesh poll scenario:
1. Bangladesh voting on
In Dhaka, the capital, people queued up outside voting booths before polls opened at 7:30 am local time (0130 GMT, 7 am IST), news agency Reuters reported. Eager participant Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, said, "I am feeling excited because we are voting in a free manner after 17 years. Our votes will matter and have meaning." On election day, more than 100,000 soldiers from the army, navy and air force are assisting nearly 200,000 police in maintaining law and order.
2. When will Bangladesh election results come?
Nearly 128 million people are registered to vote, 49% of them women. But only about 80 of over 2,000 candidates are female. Counting will begin soon after close of voting at 4:30, with early trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, Election Commission officials said.
2. Who is in the fray?
The main two coalitions are led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat‑e‑Islami, with opinion polls giving an edge to the BNP. A post-poll alliance between the BNP and Jamaat is not an impossibility as they have been allies in the past. Corruption and inflation are the biggest issues among voters, a recent survey found.
3. Where is Sheikh Hasina?
Hasina’s party, the Bangladesh Awami League is banned, and she is in self‑imposed exile in India. This has meant Dhaka is unhappy with Delhi, as she has been sentenced to death over “crimes against humanity” during the 2024 protests but India has so far not exradited her.
4. How many seats, candidates?
The election is unlike previous ones marred by BNP-led opposition boycotts and bans on Jamaat-e-Islami during Sheikh Hasina's time. More than 2,000 candidates, including independents, are vying for 299 of the 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, or House of the Nation; election on one seat was deferred due to the death of a candidate. At least 50 parties are contesting in total, a national record.
5. What is interim govt saying?
"This election is not just another routine vote,” Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, head of an interim government installed after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, said. “The public awakening we witnessed against long‑standing anger, inequality, deprivation and injustice finds its constitutional expression in this election,” he added.
6. Election not all: What's a referendum on?
In parallel with the parliamentary polls, there will be a referendum on a set of constitutional reforms as part of the ‘July 2024 Charter’. These include establishing a neutral interim government for election periods; restructuring parliament into a bicameral legislature; increasing women’s representation; strengthening judicial independence; and imposing a two-term limit on the prime minister.
7. Who is likely next PM?
The two prime ministerial candidates are the BNP's Tarique Rahman and Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman. Tarique is the son of former PM Khaleda Zia, who died recently, and has returned to Bangladesh after 17 years in London in self-imposed exile as the Hasina government accused him of corruption. The charges stand dropped now.
8. Why India is watching keenly
India is in a delicate diplomatic position. While Sheikh Hasina remains in Delhi, the power vacuum has been rapidly filled by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). This is a significant departure from the decade-long collab with Hasina’s Awami League. For India, the potential return of a BNP-led government, traditionally seen as more aligned with Islamist elements and less cooperative on cross-border security, presents a complex challenge. While India has maintained that it will work with whoever the people of Bangladesh choose, the presence of Hasina on Indian soil adds friction.
9. What about the minorities, and Pakistan?
The aftermath of Hasina's departure also brought fresh turmoil for religious minorities in the Muslim-majority country. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council documented over 2,000 incidents of communal violence between August and December 2024, according to the Associated Press. India's foreign ministry has suggested that Bangladesh is downplaying "a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks" on Hindus. Bangladesh, in turn, has described India's criticism as "systematic attempts" to stoke anti-Bangladesh sentiments.
Bangladesh even boycotted the T20 World Cup of cricket being co-hosted by India, after ruling party BJP's leaders and rightwing Hindutva vigilantes objected to Kolkata Knight Riders, an IPL team owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, contracting a Bangladeshi Muslim player. Pakistan later joined forces with Bangladesh at the International Cricket Council (ICC) that's led by India's home minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah. Pakistan anyhow has been growing closer to Bangladesh with direct flights resumed recently and a possible defence deal.
10. World is watching
United Nations experts warned ahead of voting of "growing intolerance, threats and attacks", and a "tsunami of disinformation", especially targeting millions of young first time voters.
But voters are not disillusioned as such. "I voted in 1991 and today after many years, I cast my vote here," said Nur Alam Shamim, 50, who was first vote at the New Model Degree College in Dhaka-10 constituency.
Shithi Goswami, 21, a student at Dhaka City College, lined up early to vote to avoid the crowds. "This was my first vote and I hope after everything we went through the last few years, now is the time for something positive," she said.
