New Delhi: India on Thursday said it will wait for the outcome of the elections in Bangladesh and the mandate, and then look at issues that are there.
As the polling was underway in the neighbouring country in the afternoon, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We stand for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh.”
The voting for the 13th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh was held along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter. The counting of votes began after voting concluded at 4:30 pm (local time).
The polling has concluded in Bangladesh, which is holding its first election since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the July, 2024 student uprising. The neighbouring country has been run by an interim administration led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
The counting after the conclusion of voting began in the evening, with Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Tarique Rahman asserting confidence on defeating the rival Islamist-led coalition, AFP reported.
Rahman, 60, can face a challenge from a coalition led by the country’s largest party, Jamaat-e-Islami. The BNP, initially led by Rahman’s mother and two-time PM Khaleda Zia, had faced a decline during the 15 years that Hasina was in power. Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December last year after the deteriorating health of his mother, Khaleda, who passed away on December 30.
Meanwhile, Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman led a grassroots-level campaign for the polls, and has pitched justice and ending corruption as the promises for the elections. Shafiqur said his party will do “whatever is required” to ensure a fair result. The polling has concluded at 4:30 pm, with the first significant results expected to come in overnight, according to AFP.
Political leaders on both sides of the spectrum in Bangladesh have raised concerns regarding threats. However, the country’s Election Commission officials have till now reported only “a few minor disruptions”.
