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Tarique's rise, Jamaat's fall, stalemate for Hasina: Key takeaways from Bangladesh elections
After a landslide win, Tarique Rahman's BNP has renewed its push for extradition of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina who is in exile in India.
The 13th national elections in Bangladesh held on February 12 have been about the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its chairman Tarique Rahman who won two seats -- Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6. His party BNP emerged victorious with 209 seats and is set to form government in Bangladesh that is currently being administered by an interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. Track live updates on Bangladesh election results
The elections are also being termed landmark as this was for the first that polls were held since the student-led uprising of July 2024 that toppled the Sheikh Hasina's 15-year-long government, sending Hasina into exile to India.
Bangladesh is also set to implement constitutional reforms proposed in the July National Charter as maximum votes polled in the National Referendum alongside general elections backed the reforms proposal.
Tarique Rahman's homecoming, BNP's comeback
Rahman returned home in Dhaka in December 2025 after almost 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. Days later, his ailing mother and former prime minister Khaleda Zia passed away.
Now, Rahman is set to become the prime minister of Bangladesh, a post that was once held by his mother. He will also be the first male prime minister of Bangladesh since 1991.
Bangladesh's parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 299 seats, with 151 required for a simple majority and the BNP is way too ahead of a comfortable majority.
“This is not just a victory for BNP. It is a victory for democracy. It is a victory for Bangladesh,” BNP's Mahdi Amin was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party its alliance with 11 other parties secured 76 seats, with Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman winning the Dhaka-15 seat. However, the National Citizen Party (NCP) a new party that emerged after the student-led uprising of 2024 failed to make an impressive debut and could only secure six seats.
Trouble brews for Sheikh Hasina
The election result and BNP's landslide win is a thing of worry for ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina who is currently in exile in India. After the Gen-Z protests led to the toppling of her government in 2024, she was forced to flee to India and has been here since then. And now the calls from the BNP for her extradition to Dhaka have grown stronger. On Friday, the party , reaffirmed its demand for Hasina's extradition to stand trial.
“The foreign minister has already pursued the matter of her extradition, and we support it,” senior BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed said, PTI reported.
“We have consistently pressed for her extradition in accordance with the law. This is an issue between the foreign ministries of the two countries. We have also urged the government of India to send her back to face trial in Bangladesh,” he added.
As Bangladesh went to polls on Thursday, Hasina, sitting in New Delhi termed the elections a “sham” and “a farce”.
“Today’s so-called election by Yunus, who seized power illegally and unconstitutionally, was essentially a well-planned farce,” reads the statement shared on Bangladesh Awami League's X handle.
Bangladesh votes for constitutional reforms
The voters in Bangladesh also endorsed sweeping democratic reforms under the July National Charter in a national referendum that was held alongside the general elections.
According to Bangladesh’s election commission, the referendum saw voter turnout of 60.26 percent and the “yes” vote won a clear majority.
As per the official figures, 4,80,74,429 votes were cast in favour of “yes”, while 2,25,65,627 voters chose “no”, Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, said today while talking to reporters at the EC.
The national referendum was conducted to decide whether the July National Charter 2025, which is a proposed constitutional reform package, should be adopted or not.
The July Charter was formed following Hasina's ouster and it lays down several reforms for good governance, democracy, and social justice through institutional reforms, so as to avoid "recurrence of authoritarian and fascist rule", reported news agency Reuters.
Leaders congratulate Tarique Rahman
Leaders of South Asian countries, including neighbouring India, congratulated Rahman on the resounding victory in the national elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Rahman over phone and conveyed his wishes as he is set to take reins of Bangladesh.
"Delighted to speak with Mr. Tarique Rahman. I congratulated him on the remarkable victory in the Bangladesh elections. I conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh," PM Modi wrote on X.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also congratulated Rahman and said the poll result was a triumph of democracy. Other regional leaders who congratulated Rahman include Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari, Sri Lanka's Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Nepal's Sushila Karki and Maldives' Dr Mohamed Muizzu.
