BNP heading towards major victory; set to return to power after two decades

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was Friday cruising towards a sweeping victory in the landmark parliamentary polls in the country and is all set to return to power after a gap of two decades.

The elections assumed significance it was held after a period of tumultuous political vacuum, instability and fragile security situation including widespread attacks on minorities after the student-led protests brought down the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina in August last year.

It is becoming increasingly clear that BNP's top leader Tarique Rahman is set to become the prime minister to replace the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

According to media reports, the BNP has bagged more than 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament and are likely to win more seats. The Jamaat-e-Islami, a hardline-party known to be close to Islamabad, was heading or winning in around 75 seats.

The Awami League party of Hasina has been barred from contesting the polls.

"The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP is set to form the government after victory in the majority of seats," BNP's media cell posted on x.

The Election Commission (EC) is yet to make a formal announcement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among very few leaders to congratulate Rahman on the BNP's performance.

"I convey my warm congratulations to Mr Tarique Rahman on leading BNP to a decisive victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh," Modi said in a post on X.

"India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals," he said.

On its part, the BNP thanked Modi for recognising the verdict of the elections and hoped that the relations between the two countries will be strengthened under the new government.

"We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating our leader, Tarique Rahman. It is great that a democratic country is supposed to recognise the verdict of the people, and Mr Narendra Modi has done this. We thank him," senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan said.

The India-Bangladesh relations witnessed severe strain after the collapse of the Hasina government.

According to an EC spokesperson, the results in several seats are still being processed and are likely to be announced in a few hours The US Embassy in Dhaka has congratulated the people of Bangladesh in advance on what it described as a successful national election, extending special recognition to BNP and Rahman for their "historic victory."  “Congratulations to the people of Bangladesh on a successful election and to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Tarique Rahman on your historic victory. The United States looks forward to working with you to realise shared goals of prosperity and security for both our countries,” the post read.

The election was seen as a direct contest between the BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina's now debarred Awami League.

The voting for the 13th parliamentary elections was held along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter.

BNP was in power last time between 2001 and 2006 when Jamaat was its crucial partner, with two of its leaders serving as ministers.

Jamaat has raised allegations of "abnormal delays" and "result tampering," warning that it would launch a tough movement if the public mandate were "snatched away".

Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission building early morning, Jamaat’s assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair alleged that returning officers were intentionally delaying results to favour a "particular party." "In the seats contested by our top leaders, results should have been declared by 8 pm or 9 pm according to the signed sheets given to polling agents," Zubair said.

Jamaat’s major ally in an 11-party right-wing alliance, the National Citizen Party (NCP), floated with interim government chief Muhammad Yunus last year, also brought allegations of “result tampering and planned fraud” in multiple Dhaka seats in particular.

"Psychological pressure and administrative manipulation were being used to overturn results, particularly in constituencies contested by top leaders of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance," NCP spokesman and party’s election committee chairman Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan said in a predawn briefing.

Bhuiiyan, who until recently served as an adviser or minister in Yunus’ interim cabinet, particularly alleged discrepancies in a Dhaka constituency, claiming that although NCP candidate Nahid Islam was leading by nearly 6,000 votes, the returning officer showed a margin of only 1,500 votes in the seat.

The BNP had earlier announced that if it wins the election, then its chairman and former premier Khaleda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, would be the next prime minister of Bangladesh.

If the party wins, Rahman will be Bangladesh's first male prime minister in 35 years.

"We are confident of forming the government by winning more than two-thirds of seats," BNP's central election steering committee spokesman Mahdi Amin told a media briefing in the early hours of Friday.

Rahman, who returned to Bangladesh in December last year after over 17 years in self-exile, asked party leaders and activists to offer special prayers across the country after mid-day 'Juma' prayers instead of holding victory rallies.

The EC was yet to announce the voter turnout figure. It dismissed allegations of manipulation regarding voters' appearances in polling centres.

"There were debates over turnout percentages in past elections as well. Please don't question it now," Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasur Uddin told a reporter on Thursday evening.

He said variations were natural as results from several thousand polling centres arrived at different times.

EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Thursday said 47.91 per cent of voters had cast ballots by 2 pm on polling day at 36,031 of the 42,651 polling centres.

More than 2,000 candidates, including a number of independents, were in the fray for 299 of the 300 parliamentary constituencies that went to the polls.  Polling for one seat was postponed due to the death of a candidate.

The Election Commission made elaborate security arrangements for the elections, deploying nearly 1 million security personnel -- the largest-ever in the country's electoral history.