As the most consequential elections in the political history of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman led Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) has etched a decisive victory by crossing the required benchmark of 150 seats. BNP has indeed won 212 seats, as per the sources, thus has scripted an overarching victory. The party is thus set to form the new government and occupy the power helm of Dhaka, post the ouster of Sheikh Hasina government and a phase of intense political instability, law & order chaos and deep security crisis under the Yunus regime.
The utmost concern is will the BNP-led government of Bangladesh heal the wounds of the minority Hindu community who are suffering from targeted attacks, murder and other atrocities under the interim government led by its Chief Advisor Muhammud Yunus. Meanwhile, with the latest victory the BNP has returned to power after a prolonged gap of 20 years. In 2001, the BNP had won the polls. Post that the Awami League political party led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in power for 15 years. The Awami League was however, banned from contesting the current elections, thus rendering a major edge to the BNP as the largest party of Bangladesh was absent in the polls.
Tarique Rahman returns to power after 17 years in exile
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) was led by its Chief Tarique Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. He spent 17 years in self-exile at London and returned to Bangladesh in December, 2025. In the latest elections, Tarique Rahman has won in both the seats that he had contested, which is from Dhaka 17 and Bogura-6. As Tarique Rahman occupies the position of Bangladesh Prime Minister, how will he reorient the political and economic landscape of the country that has been entangled in utter instability and chaos is the biggest question. How will the new Prime Minister navigate all the challenges and take Bangladesh in a progressive path, is the major question among the political analysts.
Jamaat-e-Islami led coalition, the key opponent to BNP in the elections have severely stumbled and lies way behind the winning party. Also, the Bangladesh elections have not been completely a peaceful process. On February 12, as the voting process continued violent incidents were reported in several constituencies. As per Bangladesh media, approximately, 72 people were injured at 14 different clashes, thus disturbing the smooth election process. Meanwhile, many questioned the transparency and integrity of the entire process of election.
PM Modi congratulates Tarique Rahman and BNP
As BNP scripted a historic win in the Bangladesh elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated BNP leader Tarique Rahman and the entire party. “I convey my warm congratulations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading the BNP to a decisive victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. This victory shows the trust of the people of Bangladesh in your leadership. 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”, wrote PM Modi on the X social media platform.
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.
India will continue to stand in support of a democratic,…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13, 2026
Prime Minister Modi thus advocated for a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh. Will the Tarique Rahman led BNP government take the country in this direction and protect the minority Hindu community rights which has currently hit a rock bottom, raising serious concerns. Will the new Prime Minister eradicate the atmosphere of fear, anxiety and helplessness prevailing among the minority Hindu community and assure a safe, progressive environment, has to be seen.
Also, since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina regime and under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, New Delhi-Dhaka relations were completely freezed. Bangladesh tilted towards Pakistan as the sovereignty, national security and territorial integrity of India was targeted by the interim regime with illicit statements. Will Tarique Rahman led BNP rectify these bilateral or foreign policy errors and rebuild the historical bilateral relations with India in lines with strategic pragmatism, the answer is awaited as India echoes for a progressive Bangladesh and asserts cooperation to advance common developmental goals.
