Bangladesh completed polling for the general election and referendum for constitutional changes on Thursday (February 12, 2026). Polling started in 36,031 election centres at 7.30 a.m. and ended at 4:30 p.m. with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) accusing Jamaat-e-Islami, leader of an 11-party alliance, of intimidating voters in various locations. In total, 2,028 candidates are in the fray for the election that will pave the way for handover of power from the interim government to an elected administration.

Bangladesh election: Follow LIVE updates on February 12, 2026

Soon after the polling process, party symbols-bearing white ballot papers of the parliamentary election and pink ballots containing ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes for the referendum on ‘July Charter’ were being collected to be counted overnight. Credible early trends of the results are expected to trickle in by early morning of Friday (February 13, 2026), party sources said.

“The spontaneous participation of voters, the responsible conduct of political parties, the restraint shown by candidates, and the professionalism of all institutions involved in the electoral process collectively demonstrated that our commitment to democracy remains unwavering,” said Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, in a statement after the voting concluded. 

The election was preceded by allegations of voter influence that were levelled by the BNP against Jamaat after a leader of the Islamist party was caught in Saidpur airport in north Bangladesh with 74 lakhs taka on Wednesday. The BNP alleged that several other similar incidents had also come to light.

However Jamaat denied the allegation and said the incident was “stage managed” by security agencies. Both the BNP and Jamaat sent delegations to the Election Commission late Wednesday night to place their versions regarding the case before officials. Several incidents of violence, intimidation and voter influencing were reported from different parts of the country during the polling.

The BNP Election Steering Committee alleged that, in Khulna, Mohibuzzaman Kachi, a leader of the metropolitan BNP sustained injuries in a scuffle with Jamaat workers after he reportedly “opposed manipulating votes” inside the centre. The BNP steering committee’s spokesperson Mahdi Amin said “stronger and more comprehensive action could have prevented these incidents more effectively.”

Among top leaders, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the BNP voted at Thakurgaon in north Bangladesh. Party chairman Tarique Rahman is contesting from Dhaka 17 in Gulshan neighbourhood of the capital, Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman is contesting in Dhaka-15 in Mirpur locality. National Citizen Party’s Nahid Islam, who is being supported by the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, is contesting from Dhaka – 11 constituency.

An important contest is taking place in Dhaka-8 where the BNP’s strongman Mirza Abbas is being challenged by the NCP’s Nasiruddin Patowary. Dhaka-8 is the seat where young Islamist Sharif Osman Hadi of Inquilab Mancho was planning to contest before he was shot dead in December 2025. Mr. Patowary’s challenge is significant as he is being supported by the 11-party alliance. During the polling, Mr. Patowary had alleged that the supporters of Mr. Abbas had tried to intimidate him. Independent candidate Rumin Farhana in Brahmanbaria, and anti-Hasina uprising student leader Hasnat Abdullah from Comilla-4 are among the star high profile candidates.

This election has witnessed participation of 51 political parties, including Jatiyo Party that was an ally of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ms. Hasina’s Awami League remains banned and was not in the field for the first time in Bangladesh’s history. According to the Election Commission, till 2 PM, poll percentage was around 47.91% with expectation of greater footfall during the closing minutes of the poll.

While brisk polling was witnessed in most parts of Bangladesh in the morning as well as in the concluding hours, low voting was reported from the Awami League’s strongholds of Madaripur, Shariatpur, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Bagerhat, Thakurgaon, Jamalpur and multiple seats of Mymensingh district. In a statement sent to the media, Ms. Hasina, who is based in India, said “workers of the Awami League, and well-wishers and minority religious communities of Bangladesh were being intimidated over the past several days.”

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi reiterated its position on the need for a “free, fair, inclusive and credible election in Bangladesh”. Official Spokesperson of the MEA Randhir Jaiswal said the interim government of Bangladesh had invited India to send observers. “We have not sent our observers to Bangladesh.”

The election was part of the mandate given to the interim government led by Mr. Yunus that had taken charge after the overthrow of the Hasina government in August 2024. Though it was expected that the election would be held within a few months, the entire process was postponed as Bangladesh dealt with administrative uncertainty and a series of reforms.

On the first anniversary of the fall of Ms. Hasina’s government, Mr. Yunus announced that the general election would be held ahead of Ramzan in the first fortnight of February 2026. This announcement was followed by the launch of the ‘July Charter’, a set of principles that were adopted by the interim government in consultation with various political parties that envisages crucial changes to the existing constitution of Bangladesh. Mr. Yunus has announced that the interim government will hand over power ‘soon’ after the election result is announced and the incoming government will have the responsibility of implementing the changes in the constitution as mentioned in the July Charter.

Bangladesh Elections Vox Pop

Bangladesh Elections Vox Pop
| Video Credit:
The Hindu

Published – February 12, 2026 10:52 pm IST

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer joined Bangladesh’s Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin in signing the U.S.–Bangladesh Agreement on Reciprocal Trade. Photo: X/@USTradeRep.

The majority of incidents involving members of minority communities in Bangladesh during 2025 were “criminal in nature” and not driven by communal motives, the interim government said on Monday (January 19, 2026).

The statement issued by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus Press Wing came days after India, on January 9, pressed Dhaka to “swiftly and firmly” deal with attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and described as “troubling” the attempts to attribute the incidents to extraneous reasons.

New Delhi’s reaction had come against the backdrop of the killing of several Hindu individuals in Bangladesh in the last few weeks.

Citing a yearlong review of official police records, the interim government said a total of 645 incidents involving minority communities were recorded between January and December 2025 across Bangladesh.

Also Read | U.K. condemns ‘all acts of violence’ in Bangladesh, calls for credible elections

“While every incident is a matter of concern, the data presents a clear and evidence-based picture: the overwhelming majority of cases were criminal in nature rather than communal,” it said.

According to the statement posted on the Chief Adviser’s verified social media handle, of the 645 incidents, 71 were identified as having communal elements.

These included 38 cases of temple vandalism, eight of arson, one of theft, one murder and 23 other incidents such as threats to break idols, provocative social media posts and damage to worship pavilions.

Police cases were filed in 50 of these incidents, and arrests were made in an equal number, while other preventive or investigative measures were taken in 21 cases, the statement said.

The remaining 574 incidents were linked to criminal or social disputes unrelated to religion, including neighbourhood disputes (51), land-related conflicts (23), theft (106), prior personal enmity (26), rape (58) and 172 cases of unnatural death.

Police registered 390 cases in this category, filed 154 unnatural death reports and made 498 arrests, with additional measures taken in 30 incidents.

The interim government said the report “does not deny challenges, nor does it claim perfection; rather, it seeks to provide a factual, evidence-based picture of crime trends affecting minority communities within the broader national context”.

“While all crimes are serious and demand accountability, the data demonstrates that most incidents involving minority victims were not driven by communal hostility, but by broader criminal and social factors that affect citizens across religious and ethnic lines,” it said.

According to the 2022 census, the Hindu population in Bangladesh is approximately 13.13 million, which accounts for about 7.95% of the country’s total population. The Buddhist population is approximately 1.01 million (0.61%), Christians nearly 5,00,000 and other religions, including Sikh and Animist, approximately 2,00,000 (0.12%).

Earlier this month, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) in a statement alleged that as the date of the general elections draws nearer, communal violence is increasing at an alarming rate in the country. Parliamentary polls are scheduled on February 12.

The forum alleged that the violence is aimed at preventing minority voters from casting votes for candidates of their choice.

The Council said it has recorded 51 incidents of communal violence in December 2025 alone.

The interim government in the statement reiterated that ensuring safety and justice for all citizens, including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and people of other beliefs, remains a constitutional and moral obligation.

On January 9, reacting to the recent spate of violence targeting Hindus in Bangladesh, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We continue to witness a disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists.”

Such communal incidents need to be dealt with swiftly and firmly, he said.

Also Read | Dhaka suspends visa service in India, seeks U.S. visa bond exemption

“We have observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons.

“Such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

The relations between India and Bangladesh were strained after the interim government headed by Mr. Yunus assumed charge following the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh.

Published – January 19, 2026 03:37 pm IST

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus-led interim government on Saturday (December 13, 2025) ordered a nationwide security clampdown as fresh unrest gripped the country following the shooting of a right-wing cultural group’s youth leader.

Inquilab Mancha leader Sharif Osmann Hadi, also a candidate in the scheduled February 12 general elections, was shot on Friday (December 12, 2025) as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.

According to doctors, his condition is very critical.

“The government is going to start the second phase of Operation Devil Hunt to help ensure public safety and combat the growing threat of illegal arms,” Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury told a press conference.

The interim government first launched the Operation Devil hunt in February this year, following protests over an attack on a former Minister’s private house in the northern suburb of the capital. The operation targeted alleged “henchmen” and supporters of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s now disbanded Awami League.

Home Adviser Chowdhury announced a reward of 50 lakh taka ($40,985.81) for information leading to the arrest of one of the suspects who shot Mr. Hadi. Meanwhile, police issued the suspect’s pictures, identifying him as Faisal Karim Masud.

He was one of the three motorcycle-borne assailants who shot Mr. Hadi in the head from close range in Bijoynagar, where the youth leader is contesting as an independent candidate.

Newspaper reports quoting Mr. Hadi’s associates said the assailants were acquainted with him and had accompanied him since Friday (December 12, 2025) morning, a day after the Election Commission announced the poll schedule.

Mr. Hadi was initially rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) following the shooting, from where he was shifted overnight to the specialised Evercare Hospital.

“His [Mr. Hadi’s] condition is critical. He has been provided a life support system,” DMCH Director Brigadier General Mohammad Asaduzzaman told reporters earlier.

Doctors at Evercare said on Saturday (December 13, 2025) that Mr. Hadi’s condition “remains static” but “not out of danger”, while the medical board formed for him preferred not to perform any surgery immediately, relying on medication and supportive treatment for now.

Chief Adviser Yunus ordered a manhunt for the suspects, and on Saturday (December 13, 2025) met Mr. Hadi’s family members, assuring them of all support for his treatment. “The whole country is praying for him, and everyone is trying to ensure that he receives the best medical care,” Mr. Yunus said.

Mr. Hadi was a frontline leader of last year’s student-led violent street protest dubbed the July Uprising, which toppled the Hasina-led Awami League Government on August 5.

Home Adviser Chowdhury said the government had taken steps to ensure special security for the “frontline fighters” of the July Uprising, adding MP candidates would also be issued firearm licenses if they wanted. He said that candidates who earlier handed over their licensed weapons to the authorities, would be returned their arms.

Meanwhile, critically ill former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party, as well as the Jamaat-e-Islami, and student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) strongly criticised the attack on Hadi.

NCP chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah, Mr. Hadi’s close comrade during and after the uprising, said, “There would be no place for fascists [Awami League] in Bangladesh, regardless of the name or platform under which they operate.”

“We take an oath in Osman Hadi’s blood – they will not be given even an inch of space in this country,” he told a protest rally.

The Inquilab Mancha spearheads a campaign to arrest “all terrorists” of the disbanded Awami League from the central to grassroots levels and ensure security of the “July warriors”.

It was at the forefront of a campaign to disband the Awami League, which the Yunus-led interim government did in May this year, disqualifying it from contesting the polls.

Published – December 13, 2025 09:03 pm IST

interim head of the Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ greetings came amid widespread concerns over repeated incidents of alleged attacks on members of the Hindu community and their places of worship after he came to power in August last year. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Dhaka:

Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in India, called the South Asian nation’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus a “mobster” and accused him of unleashing “terrorists” and fostering “lawlessness” in the country. In response, Dhaka reaffirmed its commitment to bringing her back from India and stressed securing Ms Hasina’s extradition remains its top priority. 

Ms Hasina, who fled to India after her government was toppled in a student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, on Monday held a one-on-one interaction on Zoom with the widows of four policemen killed during last July’s student uprising. During the conversation, the ousted leader commiserated on their tragic loss and promised redressal upon her return.

“The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power,” she said, adding “I will return and avenge the deaths of our policemen.”

Accusing Mr Yunus of dissolving all inquiry committees, Ms Hasina alleged the interim government has “unleashed terrorists” to butcher people.

“They are destroying Bangladesh,” she said. Ms Hasina further claimed that she escaped an assassination attempt narrowly when her government was overthrown, stating, “By the grace of God, I was kept alive to do something good. I will return and ensure justice for all of you.”

The four policemen were killed when Ms Hasina tried to suppress the student-led protests last year in July-August. The moment which started as protests against a controversial quota system soon culminated in a call for her ouster.

In a teary address, Ms Hasina noted that nearly 450 police stations were also set on fire and said the killings were part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by Mr Yunus, who has since accepted there was a “design and conspiracy” to remove Ms Hasina.

“The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power,” she said.

The former premier added that “mobster” Muhammad Yunus and others who caused these killings would be brought to justice “on Bangla soil”.

“This government that usurped power has to go. People have to ensure that. Human rights violations under him (Mr Yunus) have been unprecedented. We have to ensure the people put him out of power,” she added. 

Dhaka’s Response

Soon after Ms Hasina’s Zoom interaction, Bangladesh’s interim administration stressed that securing the former Prime Minister’s extradition from India remains their topmost priority. 

“This is the government’s top priority. We will continue our efforts to extradite Hasina to hold her trial in person,” said Mr Yunus’ press secretary, Shafiqul Alam on Tuesday. 

Casting a shadow on the future of Ms Hasina’s  Awami League in Bangladesh, Alam said the people and political parties of Bangladesh will decide if the party should continue to exist in the country’s political landscape, but stressed that those allegedly involved in killings, enforced disappearances, and other crimes must face justice.

He also cited a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which accuses Ms Hasina’s administration of committing crimes against humanity and said, “After the report of the UN and some reports of rights groups were published, pressure has mounted (on India to return Ms Hasina to Bangladesh).”

India Yet To Respond

Bangladesh’s Foreign Office has submitted a diplomatic note requesting Ms Hasina’s repatriation. New Delhi has acknowledged its receipt, but it has yet to provide any further response. 

People walk past a closed stall at Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka on February 11, 2025, after chanting protesters were angry over a book by exiled feminist author Taslima Nasrin.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A group of protesters stormed a book stall in Dhaka over the display of books by exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin, prompting Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to order a probe into the “disorderly behaviour”, according to a media report.

The incident took place on Monday (February 10, 2025) at the publishing house Sabyasachi Prokashoni stall at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, Bdnews24 reported.

The incident unfolded on the 10th day of the fair when a group under the banner of “Towhidi Janata” stormed the Sabyasachi Prokashoni stall at Suhrawardy Udyan over the display of books by exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin, the report added.

ALSO READ: ‘Don’t call me Muslim, I am an atheist’ — Taslima Nasrin interview (2015)

The group surrounded the publisher and chanted slogans, prompting police to intervene and take Sabyasachi publisher Shatabdi Vobo into their control room to restore order, it said.

However, the protesters then encircled the police control room, keeping tensions high.

‘Disorderly behaviour’: Chief Adviser Yunus

Following widespread criticism, Chief Adviser Yunus ordered authorities on Monday evening to bring those responsible to justice, it added.

“This kind of disorderly behaviour disregards both the rights of citizens and the laws of Bangladesh,” the Chief Adviser’s Office said in a statement.

Bangla Academy has formed a seven-member committee to investigate the chaos and attack on the publishing house. The committee has been asked to submit its findings within three working days, Bangla Academy said in a statement on Tuesday.

Describing the incident as “undesirable,” the academy said the committee was formed to ensure a fair probe.

Since the incident, the Sabyasachi stall, number 128, has remained closed.

However, Bangla Academy clarified on Monday that it had not shut down any stalls or banned any books.

Warning against mob violence

Meanwhile, Mahfuj Alam — considered a de facto minister in the interim government and a key leader of Bangladesh’s Anti-Discrimination Students Movement — has issued a stern warning, stating that anyone involved in mob violence will face strict legal action, the report said.

Addressing the “Towhidi Janata” group, he cautioned that if they engage in violent acts, they will be treated as lawbreakers and subjected to severe legal consequences, with no further warnings.

Mr. Mahfuj made these remarks on Monday after a group of enraged individuals stormed the stall over the sale of a poetry book by Ms. Nasrin.

Videos circulating on social media show a group of men in Islamic attire crowding in front of the stall and forcing an individual inside to hold his ears and apologise, the report added.

Ms. Nasrin’s writings won critical acclaim and global attention in the early 1990s. However, her radical writings exposing hypocrisy as well as fundamentalism, also infuriated the orthodox clergy in her homeland, some of whom passed ‘fatwas’ against her, forcing her to flee to Europe and the U.S.

She has been living in India since 2004 (except from 2008 to 2010) after being expelled from Bangladesh in 1994 and her permit to stay in India expired in July 2024.

However, in October 2024, India extended her residence permit for another year.

Sheikh Hasina. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh’s deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League would not be allowed to participate in elections, a key adviser of Muhammad Yunus’s interim government said on Saturday (January 25, 2025).

“The elections will be contested among pro-Bangladesh groups only,” said Mahfuz Alam, a top leader of the Anti-Discrimination Movement, which spearheaded the mass uprising that toppled Hasina’s Awami League regime and forced her to flee the country on August 5 last year.

Addressing a street rally at central Chandpur district, Mr. Alam said only former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islam and other “pro-Bangladesh” groups would carry on their politics in the country. He added that either of these “will establish future governance through a fair electoral process”.

“But Awami League’s rehabilitation will not be allowed in this country,” said Alam, a de facto minister without portfolio in Chief Adviser Yunus’s administration.

Mr. Alam stated that no election would take place until “minimum reforms” were implemented and institutions, allegedly destroyed by the “fascist Hasina government,” were restructured.

Initially appointed by Mr. Yunus as a special assistant in his government, Mr. Alam later served as an adviser in his interim cabinet. At a function on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly last year, Mr. Yunus introduced Mr. Alam as the “main brain” behind the “meticulously” designed student-led movement that toppled the past regime.

The Awami League has been virtually out of the open political landscape since August 5, 2024, with most of its leaders and Ms. Hasina’s cabinet members either in jail on murder and other criminal charges or on the run at home and abroad.

Earlier, the BNP said it was against banning any political party, visibly weighing its support for archrival Awami League’s existence in the political field.

It demanded elections in the quickest possible time after minimal reforms, calling it a continued process.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir recently said the reform agenda undertaken by the interim government could take 10 years and an unelected government must not continue for a longer period.

Amid speculations about the formation of a youth-led new political party by the student leaders, BNP said the interim government would lose its credibility if figures of the government formed a party staying in power.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, another leader of the Anti-Discrimination Movement, in a Facebook post on Saturday, said “There will be efforts or debates about who is more advanced in doing people’s welfare”.

Information Affairs adviser Nahid Islam, another student leader said if required the advisers of the government would resign from their posts to form the party and contest the future election.

Last month, Mr. Yunus said the next general election in the country could take place by the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026. He had, however, said the timing of the election would largely depend upon the political consensus and the extent of the reforms that must be carried out before it.