Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman on his party’s “decisive victory” in the country’s parliamentary elections, and affirmed India’s continued support for a “democratic, progressive and inclusive” Bangladesh.“I convey my warm congratulations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading BNP to a decisive victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. This victory shows the trust of the people of Bangladesh in your leadership,” PM Modi said in a post on X.
“I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals,” he added.The BNP secured a commanding two-thirds majority in the general elections, winning more than 200 seats — one of its strongest performances, surpassing its 2001 tally of 193 seats. The outcome is widely seen as paving the way for political stability after months of unrest that followed the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising in August 2024.Rahman, son of BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman, is expected to be sworn in as prime minister. He returned to Dhaka in December after spending 18 years abroad. His father ruled Bangladesh from 1977 until his assassination in 1981 and remains a prominent figure in the country’s independence-era politics.Soon after the results became clear, the BNP thanked voters and urged restraint among supporters. “Despite winning … by a large margin of votes, no celebratory procession or rally shall be organised,” the party said in a statement, instead calling for nationwide prayers.The election marked the first since Hasina fled to neighbouring India. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, 85, had been serving as interim head of government following her departure. Hasina, now in exile in New Delhi, had dominated Bangladesh politics for years alongside Khaleda Zia, Rahman’s mother and a former prime minister.The Awami League, which governed for 15 years but was barred from contesting this election, had earlier recorded a larger mandate of 230 seats in 2008.Meanwhile, the head of the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami conceded defeat, stating that his party would not engage in the “politics of opposition” merely for its own sake. The National Citizen Party (NCP), led by youth activists who were instrumental in the movement against Hasina and part of a Jamaat-backed alliance, managed to win only five of the 30 seats it contested.
