By Admin 
Voting for the general elections in Bangladesh ended at 4:30 pm on 12 February 2026 and now the counting of votes is going on. Not only this, election results will also start coming from 8 pm tonight. About 47.91% voting took place at 36 thousand voting centers in the country. However, clashes also took place at some places during voting. A leader of Tariq Rehman’s BNP was killed, while several workers were injured. For the first time in Bangladesh, a referendum was conducted along with the parliamentary elections and for the first time, arrangements for voting by postal mail were made. The main contest in Bangladesh is between BNP’s Tariq Rahman and Jamaat’s Shafiqur Rahman.
Demand to declare election results soon
BNP President Tariq Rehman demanded early declaration of election results and said that people should know the results of their casted votes soon. Tariq Rehman said that the Election Commission should take such steps so that the voters can quickly know what was the result of the person they voted for. He says that if there is a delay in declaring the results, confusion may spread among the people. If voting is fair then the results will be valid. But if there is any irregularities or tampering during the voting then such results will not be accepted.
US election observer praised Bangladeshi elections
International Republican Institute (IRI) election observer and former US MP David Dreier has described the election as free, fair and festive. David Dreyer is currently leading IRI’s election observation mission. On Thursday, he visited the polling stations of Manarat International School and College located in Gulshan area of Dhaka and took stock of the situation there. After visiting the polling stations, David Dreyer said while talking to the media that there was an orderly and peaceful atmosphere during the voting. He said, ‘People reached the polling centers in large numbers and there was a lot of enthusiasm.’
Dreyer has called it a special day in the history of Bangladesh. He said, ‘Today is a very special day in the history of this beautiful country. This is my first visit to Bangladesh and I see enthusiasm, happiness and a festive atmosphere among the people here. He further said that the voting process appeared transparent and orderly, in which no major irregularities were seen.
Clashes in many areas during elections
There was a clash in Shyamankhola of Bagerhat district of Bangladesh, in which 6 workers of Jamaat-e-Islami were injured. He was admitted to Shyamankhola Upazila Health Complex. Jamaat-e-Islami candidate from Bagerhat-4 seat, Principal Abdul Aleem confirmed the incident. He said that his workers were attacked in the morning amidst tension in the election atmosphere. Meanwhile, BNP leader Mohibuzzaman Kochi has died. However, BNP General Secretary Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed that voting was being conducted in a fair and peaceful manner across the country.