Bangladesh election results: PM Modi congratulates BNP’s Tariq Rahman for ‘decisive victory’ India News

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi India on Friday congratulated Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairman Tariq Rehman for his “decisive victory” in the country’s parliamentary elections and reiterated India’s continued support for a “democratic, progressive and inclusive” Bangladesh.Prime Minister Modi posted on“I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relationship and advance our shared development goals,” he added.The BNP secured a two-thirds majority in the general election, winning more than 200 seats, its strongest performance ever, surpassing 193 seats in 2001. The outcome was widely seen as paving the way for political stability after months of turmoil following the former prime minister’s ouster. Sheikh Hasina August 2024 Generation Z-led uprising.Rahman, the 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 key figure in the country’s independence-era politics.Shortly after the results were announced, the BNP thanked voters and urged supporters to exercise restraint. The party said in a statement that “despite… the massive vote win, no celebratory marches or rallies will be organized” and called for nationwide prayers.The election was Hasina’s first since she fled to neighboring India. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 85, has been serving as head of an interim government since leaving office. Hasina, who currently lives in exile in New Delhi, has dominated Bangladeshi politics for years alongside Rahman’s mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.The Awami League, which has been in power for 15 years but was barred from contesting this election, had previously won 230 seats in 2008.Meanwhile, the Jamaat-e-Islami president admitted defeat and said the party would not engage in “opposition politics” just for its own benefit. The National Civic Party (NCP), led by youth activists, played a major role in the campaign against Hasina and was part of the Congress-backed alliance, but won only five of the 30 seats it contested.