After the huge victory of BNP in Bangladesh and the possibility of Tariq Rahman becoming the Prime Minister, India is now planning to strengthen the relations between the two countries. India is considering this election as an opportunity for a ‘diplomatic reset’. The Central Government believes that stability and trust can last for a long time only with a democratically elected government. India has always worked with elected governments and now the BNP victory is being seen as a victory for the ‘spirit of 1971 and liberal values’.

India’s positive stance on Tariq Rehman

Indian officials said they were ‘cautiously optimistic’ for Tariq Rehman. He believes that Tariq can adopt a more practical approach keeping in mind the economic realities and regional stability. Relations had deteriorated in the last few months during the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. India says that government created ‘anarchy and instability’, delayed the restoration of democracy, blames India and the Indian media. But now India wants to engage with the elected government in a constructive manner.

What is India’s main strategy?

There are 4 main main strategies of India. These:

• Supporting democracy and rebuilding trust.
• To remain vigilant on security and minority rights.
• Increasing cooperation on economic and regional issues by considering Tariq Rehman as a practical leader.
• A senior Indian representative, Tariq Rehman, is likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony, which will be a sign of improving relations. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had gone to Dhaka to pay tribute to Khaleda Zia’s death and met Tariq.

India has also started working on this strategy. After BNP’s victory, Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately called Tariq Rehman and congratulated him. PM Modi wrote on X that both the countries have deep historical and cultural relations. He said, ‘I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multi-dimensional relations and advance our shared development goals. India will continue to support a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh.

How will the spoiled relations of Mohammad Yunus be improved?

The interim government gave more space to Jamaat-e-Islami and Islamic fundamentalist groups, which is a matter of concern for India. These groups are pro-Pakistan and have been involved in attacks on minorities (especially Hindus). India repeatedly expressed concern over the security of Hindu minorities, but the interim government did not take appropriate steps. Now it is expected that Tariq Rehman’s government will keep an eye on border security, infiltration and regional stability. Relations with India were sometimes strained during BNP’s previous tenures, but now Tariq may be more cooperative due to economic needs. India’s focus is now on practical cooperation. India now wants cooperation in trade, security, water sharing (like Teesta) and anti-terrorism.

Which party got how many seats in Bangladesh?

Tariq Rehman’s BNP won 209 seats and the alliance won 212 seats. That means the majority mark of 151 has been crossed. There are 10 parties including BNP in this alliance. The alliance of 11 parties led by Dr. Shafiqur Rehman’s Jamaat-e-Islami has got only 77 seats. Jamaat Chief Rehman has won from Dhaka-15 seat. National Citizen Party (NCP), which is part of the Jamaat alliance, got 6 seats. This is the same NCP, which emerged from the anti-government student movement of July-August 2024. This is the first election in which Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party did not contest due to the ban. On May 12, 2025, the Election Commission had also suspended the registration of the party.

The results of the 13th Parliament elections in Bangladesh once again proved how easily small parties can be ‘cleansed’. While BNP won a landslide victory with 216 seats and Jamaat-e-Islami bagged 68 seats, Bangladesh Jatiyo Party (BJP) got only one seat and that too from Bhola-1 seat, where party chairman Andaliv Rahman Partho won on the ‘bullock cart’ symbol by securing 1,04,462 votes. His nearest rival was Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nazrul Islam, who got 73,773 votes.

Small parties swept in Bangladesh elections

This is a big thing for BJP, because it did not go anywhere in the elections. Most of the party’s candidates either lost or were eliminated. Just like in India, many small parties enter the field with ‘bicycle’, ‘elephant’, ‘sword’ or ‘tractor’ symbols, but they have no strength in front of big parties. Even in Bangladesh, BJP had big dreams, but the results came with only one seat. Whereas India’s BJP is completely different. In India, BJP has formed the government in many states along with the Centre. The name of BJP is definitely the same in both the countries, but the circumstances are completely different.

The accounts of Bangladesh Republican Party (BRR) with elephant symbol and Jatiya Party with bicycle symbol could not be opened either. In India, the election symbol of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is elephant, while the symbol of Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party is the bicycle. Similarly, the hand symbolized Bangladesh Muslim League (BML) and the lantern party of the same name also remained clean. In India, hand is the election symbol of Congress, while lantern is the symbol of Lalu Yadav’s RJD.

Vote bank division or pressure from big parties

According to the Election Commission, the results of a total of 297 seats have been declared. BNP won 209, Jamaat-e-Islami 68, National Citizen Party (NCP) 6, Independents 7 and other small parties like Khilafat Majlis (2), Islami Andolan (1), Gano Odhikar Parishad (1), Gano Sanghati Andolan (1) won one or two seats each. But looking at the condition of BJP, it seems that if small parties do not join a big alliance then it is certain that they will be wiped out. Many parties in India too are in a similar situation. The symbol looks good and the candidates look strong, but victory becomes difficult due to division of vote banks or pressure from big parties.

Tariq Rehman can form government by 16th February

Tariq Rehman’s BNP has made preparations to form the government by winning more than two-thirds of the seats. A new government can be formed by 16 February. This election has brought a big change in the politics of Bangladesh, where old parties were voted out and new forces emerged. But there is a lesson for small parties like BJP. Without a strong alliance or local support, even ‘Haathi’ would not have been able to reach anywhere in the elections. In the coming days, the formation of Tariq Rahman’s government will have an impact on Bangladesh-India relations and regional politics.

The election results of Bangladesh have decided that Tariq Rahman, son of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia and head of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, will now be the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh. But the question is what will be the change in the relations between Bangladesh and India if Tariq Rahman becomes the Prime Minister. After all, after becoming the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, will Tariq Rahman be closer to Chinese President Xi Jinping or will he make Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi his friend. The biggest question is whether after becoming the Prime Minister, Tariq Rahman will be successful in stopping the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh or not.

People of Bangladesh trust Tariq

In the election results of Bangladesh which came on 13 February 2026, the people have elected Tariq Rahman as their new Prime Minister. As soon as the name was decided, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of India congratulated him on his victory and wrote on Twitter, ‘This victory shows that the people of Bangladesh have faith in your leadership. India will stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh. I look forward to working with you to strengthen multi-faceted relations and advance shared development goals.

But the question is whether Tariq Rehman will also maintain equally warm relations with India as shown by India on the victory of Tariq Rehman. This question is also important because not only Tariq Rehman, but also the history of his late mother Khaleda Zia and her BNP has never been in favor of India. Many new and old examples of this also exist. As:

• Tariq Rahman’s mother Khaleda Zia, in her very first election in 1991, had accused Sheikh Hasina that her party Awami League would bind Bangladesh in the chains of India.
• Khaleda Zia used to oppose the 1972 treaty between India and Bangladesh and called it against the sovereignty of Bangladesh.
• Khaleda Zia had opposed giving transit rights to India. Then he had said that allowing Indian trucks to run toll-free on the roads of Bangladesh is slavery to India.
• While being the Prime Minister, Khaleda had given free rein to India’s banned organization ULFA for arms smuggling. This was revealed after the seizure of weapons from Chittagong in 2004, when about 10 trucks carrying Bangladeshi weapons were caught on the Indian border.

Apart from this, Khaleda Zia’s government never maintained good coordination with India. Tariq Rehman’s recent works are also more or less pointing in this direction. After spending 18 months in jail in 2007 and living in exile in London for 17 years, Tariq Rahman returned to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh on 26 December 2025. A few days later, in January 2026, he paid a courtesy call on Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen and said that relations between Bangladesh and China are close and friendly.

Bangladesh supported One China Policy

Tariq Rahman had talked about supporting Bangladesh even on China’s weakest point and said that he is with the One China Policy. Tariq also talked about continuing the ongoing projects and defense agreements worth about $6 billion with China under the existing Belt and Road Initiative, which naturally revealed Tariq Rehman’s preference.

Now that Tariq Rahman is going to become the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh, it is doubtful whether he will be able to take Bangladesh forward by keeping a one-sided inclination towards China. Therefore, he is currently busy balancing his foreign policy and that is why he is trying to melt the ice in relations. Because he would not have forgotten that even though his mother Khaleda Zia never maintained relations with India, when Khaleda Zia passed away, Prime Minister Modi himself expressed grief over Khaleda Zia’s demise by posting on social media. India’s Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar reached Dhaka and met Tariq Rehman. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also went to Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi and expressed grief over the demise of Khaleda Zia.

With whom will Tariq Rehman be close?

In such a situation, it would be a bit premature to decide whether Tariq Rehman will be closer to India or China. Because during the time of Mohammad Yunus, it will not be easy for Tariq Rahman to completely get rid of the agreements that Bangladesh had made with China by spoiling the relations with India and through which China had entered deep into Bangladesh. China is not only the biggest trading partner of Bangladesh, but China has also made huge investments in Bangladesh. So now let’s wait for the oath of Tariq Rehman. Let us wait for their decisions and then decide whether Tariq Rehman will be closer to India or China.

The results of the 13th Parliament (Jatiya MP) elections are coming in Bangladesh and BNP chief Tariq Rahman has made a comeback with a bang. After returning to the country after 17 years, Tariq Rehman has won both the seats (Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6). Elections are being held in Bangladesh for the first time in 2024 after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. In this, Tariq Rehman, who came from London, has come closer to becoming the Prime Minister.

Tariq won both the seats by a big margin

BNP media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan told Dhaka Tribune that Tariq had won both the seats in the unofficial results. This is a big sign of his political strength, because he is a big contender for the post of Prime Minister. In Dhaka-17 seat (Gulshan, Baridara, Banani and Cantonment areas), Tariq defeated Jamaat-e-Islami candidate SM Khalikuzzaman by a huge margin. BNP claims that in the data till 9 pm, Tariq got 60,215 votes, while his rival could get 24,524 votes.

In Bogura-6 seat (Bogura Sadar) also, Tariq defeated Jamaat candidate Mohammad Abdur Rehman by more than double the votes. According to Prothom Alo, in the data from 27 centres, Tariq got 37,465 votes, while his rival could get 17,428 votes. BNP candidates are leading in all 7 seats of Bogura, in which Tariq’s seat is the strongest.

Main fight between BNP and Jamaat

This election is the first major election after the 2024 student movement, in which Awami League (Sheikh Hasina’s party) is out of the election and registration is suspended. The main contest was between the alliance of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. In the initial trends, BNP is ahead in many seats. In some reports, BNP is leading in more than 50 seats, while Jamaat is leading in 18. Voting took place on a total of 299 seats (one seat cancelled) and voter turnout was around 48 percent. Also in July, a referendum was held on the National Charter, the results of which could give the new government the right to make major changes in the Constitution.

Tariq cast his vote with his wife and daughter

Tariq Rahman cast his vote in the morning at Gulshan Model High School and College in Dhaka, where his wife Dr. Zubaida Rahman and daughter Jaima Rahman were also with him. After casting his vote, he said that the people of Bangladesh were waiting for this day for a long time and they have taken back their rights. He mentioned reports of unwanted incidents at some places, but said that if BNP comes to power, they will strengthen law and order.

Tariq returned to Bangladesh after the death of mother Khaleda Zia

Tariq Rehman was living in London since 2008 and returned in December 2025 after the death of mother Khaleda Zia. His victory will give huge political advantage to BNP and will help in forming the government. The official results of the Election Commission are not yet complete, but from the unofficial results it is clear that Tariq has won both the seats. The results of the entire country are expected by Friday morning. International observers have described the elections as free and fair, although there were complaints of violence in some places. This election will decide the new political direction of Bangladesh, where BNP seems to be in a strong position.

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.