Last Updated on February 7, 2026 8:47 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman has rejected a proposal from rival Jamaat-e-Islami to form a post-election unity government, saying his party is confident of winning enough seats to govern on its own. “How can I form a government with my political opponents, and then who would be in the opposition?” Tarique said in an interview at the BNP office. “If they are in the opposition, I hope to have them as a good opposition.”
Tarique, 60, returned to Bangladesh in December after nearly 20 years in exile in London following the youth-led uprising that toppled long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Bangladesh has been run by an interim government since August last year after Hasina fled to India.
The BNP is contesting 292 of the 300 parliamentary seats in the February 12 election, with allies contesting the rest. Tarique declined to give a seat projection but said, “We are confident that we’ll have enough to form a government.” His aides claim the party expects to win more than two-thirds of the seats. All opinion polls forecast a BNP victory, though Jamaat-e-Islami and its alliance, which includes NCP, a Gen Z party born out of the anti-Hasina protests, are expected to mount a strong challenge.
On foreign policy, Tarique said Bangladesh would maintain relations based on national interest rather than favouring any single country. “Whoever, while protecting the interests and sovereignty of Bangladesh, offers what is suitable for my people and my country, we will have friendship with them,” he said.
Addressing strained ties with India following New Delhi’s decision to shelter Hasina, who was sentenced to death by a Dhaka court last year, Tarique said, “She did commit a crime in the eyes of the law in Bangladesh. A judgment has been passed, so she must be brought to justice.” On whether Hasina’s children could return to politics, he said, “Whoever is involved in any kind of crime must face the consequences. But if people welcome them, then anyone has the right to do politics.”
Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from contesting the election, and many of its senior leaders remain abroad.