Financial Express
Feb 12, 2026, 05:34 PM
Bangladesh Election 2026: Young Bangladeshis Vote for Change
Bangladesh Election 2026 Polling Live: The counting of votes is underway in Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliament Election. Millions of young Bangladeshis voted for the first time today in a landmark election to determine the country’s leadership following a 2024 student-led uprising. The massive protests led by the youth, who make up about 44% of the country’s 129 million voters, helped end former PM Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year-long iron-fisted tenure. The uprising, led by the youth, who make up about 44% of the country’s 129 million voters, helped end former PM Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year-long iron-fisted tenure, AFP reported. Voters will be electing the 300 members of Bangladesh’s parliament, called the Jatia Sangsad. Although the Parliament has 350 seats in total, directly-elected parliamentarians constitute 300 of them, with the other 50 seats being reserved for women. To form the government, a party or alliance must secure at least 151 of the 300 directly elected seats. Four main alliances are contesting the elections, namely the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), 11-Party Alliance, National Democratic Front and Greater Sunni Alliance. The contest, however, is being deemed as a two-way battle with BNP and 11-Party alliance at the forefront. BNP is being led by Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The party will contest on all 300 seats, with the help of independent candidates and alliances. It has directly 288 of its own candidates.se The 11-Party Alliance, on the other hand, is headed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The alliance will contest on 298 seats. Notably, Hasina’s Awami League will remain absent from elections as it has been banned from political activity. Polling will be held between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm across the country. The counting of votes will start soon after 4 pm. The results will be announced officially by the Bangladesh Election Commission on the morning of February 13, upon the completion of vote counting. Bangladesh General Election 2026 Voting Live Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in the Sunamganj-2 constituency (Dirai-Shalla), Shishir Manir, has admitted defeat in the 13th National Parliament election. BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has won the Dhaka-17 constituency according to unofficial results, Dhaka Tribune reported quoting Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of the BNP Media Cell. BNP candidate Md Asaduzzaman has won in Jhenaidah-1 constituency. Md Asaduzzaman, who is a former attorney general, secured 1,71,598 votes. His nearest rival, Jamaat candidate Matiur Rahman, received 55,577 votes. Over 1 million postal ballots were received in from voters registered through the “Postal Vote BD” app. Of these, 4,95,551 were cast by expatriate voters and 6,48,294 by domestic voters under the Inland Conditional Postal Voting (ICPV) system. Despite receiving an official invitation from Dhaka to monitor the proceedings, India opted not to send official observers to avoid any perception of interference. Responding to queries during the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We did receive an invitation for sending Observers, we have not sent our Observers to Bangladesh to observe the elections." By staying away from the polling stations, New Delhi ensured that the "credibility" of the election remains a matter for the Bangladeshi people and the international community to judge, rather than being "validated" by an Indian presence. BNP has called on all stakeholders to remain vigilant to ensure that the results of the 13th National Parliament Election are announced accurately. Mahdi Amin, spokesperson for the BNP’s election management committee and adviser to the party chairman, made the remarks at a press conference at the BNP election management office in Gulshan, Dhaka. BNP chairman Tarique Rahman said his party was willing to run the country with all those parties that participated with them in the movement. “We want to run the country (more or less) with those with whom we carried out the movement,” he said while talking to reporters in front of BNP’s Gulshan office after visiting several polling centres in the capital. Counting of votes has begun after voting ended at 4:30pm on Thursday in 299 constituencies across the country. Former US Congressman David Dreier, who is heading an International Republican Institute (IRI) election observation mission, described Bangladesh’s national election as “free, fair and festive,” expressing optimism about the country’s democratic process. Over 32 per cent of the electorate voted till noon in the crucial parliamentary elections, marred by sporadic incidents of violence. Voting was continuing in all centres despite isolated incidents in different parts of the country, Bangladesh Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said at a briefing, according to Associated Press. Tens of millions of Bangladeshis voted on Thursday. This comes after the ouster of long-time premier Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising. Turnout reached a high 32.88% by noon at about three-fourths of the 42,651 polling centres across the country, Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission, told reporters, as per Reuters. Tarique Rahman, senior BNP leader, faces accusations of irregularities from political rivals. BNP officials have responded, dismissing the claims and vowing to ensure that all electoral complaints are properly addressed. Alongside parliamentary elections, Bangladeshis are voting in a national referendum on the July National Charter. The charter, prepared by the Yunus-led interim government, outlines 84 reforms aimed at strengthening democracy, good governance, and social justice, and preventing a return to authoritarian rule. “If the ‘Yes’ vote wins in the referendum, Bangladesh’s future will be built in a more positive way,” Yunus said, adding it would help keep misrule away. Bangladesh’s first election since the 2024 uprising saw 32.88 per cent voter turnout till noon, according to Election Commission senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed, quoted by Prothom Alo. Voters headed to 32,789 polling centres across the country, as parties previously suppressed under Sheikh Hasina’s rule return to the fray, while a new political heir faces an Islamist-led coalition. BNP leader Mohibuzzaman Kochi died during a confrontation with Jamaat-e-Islami supporters outside a polling centre in Khulna city on Thursday, bdnews24 reported. The BNP claimed that Kochi’s death occurred after a Jamaat leader “pushed him” toward a tree. On the other hand, Jamaat centre director Mahbubur Rahman said, “The BNP people were throwing out our female workers. I stopped them. Then one of them fell ill. I heard later on that he died.” The incident has added to rising tensions as Bangladesh heads into its 2026 parliamentary polls, highlighting the volatile atmosphere in some areas ahead of voting. Last night in Nilphamari, Jamaat-e-Islami workers allegedly attacked Hindu homes, set fires & threatened. 🚨BREAKING : Pre-election terror in Bangladesh!Last night in Nilphamari, Jamaat-e-Islami workers allegedly attacked Hindu homes, set fires & threatened: "Vote for us or face bigger attacks!" Hindus living in fear just days before polls. Where is justice? Where is the world?… pic.twitter.com/UNMlcJEl6n This is Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary election since it gained independence in 1971. The last three elections — held in 2014, 2018 and 2024 under Sheikh Hasina’s government — were controversial. They were widely believed to have been rigged in her favour, or were boycotted by major opposition parties. Bangladesh follows a first-past-the-post system, meaning the candidate who gets the most votes in a constituency wins. To form a majority government, a party or alliance must win at least 151 seats. As voters line up at polling stations across the country, many hope this election will mark a turning point — one that brings stability after a turbulent period in the nation’s politics. In a shocking incident just a day before Bangladesh’s national parliamentary elections, a 28-year-old man was found dead with his hands and feet tied. The body was discovered on Wednesday at a tea estate in Kamalganj, raising concerns about safety ahead of the polls. The deceased has been identified as Ratan Shuvo Kar, an employee of Champara Tea Garden in Islampur. Abdul Awal, officer in charge of Kamalganj Police Station, confirmed the report to Daily Star. Voting is being held at 42,779 polling stations nationwide. Nearly 800,000 officials have been deployed to manage and monitor the voting process. The interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has said it is committed to ensuring that the polls are free, fair and peaceful. To maintain order, around 900,000 police and other security personnel have been deployed. In addition, about 500 foreign observers and journalists are in the country to monitor the election. This includes representatives from the European Union and the Commonwealth, of which Bangladesh is a member. Three people, including a teenage girl, were injured after a crude bomb exploded at a polling centre in Gopalganj city on Thursday. The city is known as former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political stronghold and a key base of her party, the Awami League. According to a report by The Business Standard , the blast took place during voting hours. The presiding officer at the centre said the injuries were minor. More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in Bangladesh, a country with a population of around 170 million. A total of 2,028 candidates are in the fray across the country. Official figures show that the electorate includes about 64.8 million male voters, 62.9 million female voters and 1,234 transgender voters. Young people played a major role in the 2024 uprising, and they are expected to make their presence felt again. Around 5 million voters will be casting their ballot for the first time. Bangladesh’s chief adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus cast his vote at 10:26 am at Gulshan Model High School and College in Dhaka on Thursday. After voting, Yunus briefly spoke to reporters outside the polling centre. He described the day as one of “great joy” and called it “the birthday of the new Bangladesh,” according to a report by the Dhaka Tribune . Polling began on Thursday morning, but the mood in Gopalganj — long considered an Awami League bastion — appeared unusually quiet. Only a handful of voters were seen at several polling stations in the district during the early hours. Gopalganj holds deep political significance. It is the birthplace of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his daughter, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted last year. The district has close to one million registered voters. Polling agents are hoping that at least half of them will turn up by the end of the day. But when centres were visited in the morning, footfall remained thin, according to a BBC report. Those overseeing the process, however, believe the numbers could pick up as the day progresses, with many voters traditionally choosing to cast their ballots later. Even as more than 2,000 candidates are in the fray this time, women remain sharply underrepresented. Only 109 candidates — roughly 4.24% — are women, according to a report by the Daily Star . Of these, 72 have been nominated by political parties, while the rest are contesting as independents. A day before Bangladesh headed to the polls, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman chose his words carefully — especially when it came to India. With his party expected to perform strongly in Thursday’s election, he appeared keen to calm nerves about what a Jamaat rise might mean for foreign ties. On Wednesday, Rahman invited foreign diplomats, international observers and journalists for lunch at the Dhaka Sheraton. The gathering was widely seen as an effort to reach out and strike a reassuring note ahead of voting day. When asked how he sees Bangladesh’s relationship with India, Rahman avoided a long, formal response. Instead, he glanced up at the chandeliers above and said simply, “colourful”. When someone remarked that the chandeliers were green, he smiled and said, “green stands for progress”. He went on to add that ties with India would remain a “priority”, pointing out that India is Bangladesh’s “neighbour”. Bangladesh Elections | Tarique Rahman, Chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP and son of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia, arrive at a polling centre at the Gulshan Model School and College in Dhaka to cast his vote for the 13th Parliamentary elections. #watch | Bangladesh Elections | Tarique Rahman, Chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP and son of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia, arrives at a polling centre at the Gulshan Model School and College in Dhaka to cast his vote for the 13th Parliamentary… pic.twitter.com/MhvmxKk6E0 Violence was reported in Dhaka’s Mirpur-10 constituency. Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) clashed in the area. Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman is contesting from this seat. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman cast his vote at around 8:30am at the Manipur High School polling centre. He has run what observers describe as a focused grassroots campaign. If he wins, the former political prisoner could lead the first Islamist-led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the BNP, voted at the Thakurgaon Government Girls’ High School polling centre. He is contesting from the Thakurgaon-1 seat, according to Prothom Alo. A survey released in December 2025 by the United States-based International Republican Institute showed the BNP at 33 per cent support. The same poll placed Jamaat close behind at 29 per cent. The BNP is widely seen as the frontrunner, but the race remains tight. This is the first national election since the deadly 2024 uprising that removed Sheikh Hasina from power. Many of the young people who helped lead those protests believe this is the Muslim-majority nation’s first real contest since 2009 — the year Hasina began her 15-year rule. Because of the strong role played by young activists in shaping the political landscape after her fall, the vote is being described as the world’s first Gen Z-inspired election.
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