Last Updated on February 13, 2026 6:16 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Senior BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan on Friday expressed optimism that India-Bangladesh relations would grow stronger under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, as the party moved closer to forming the next government following its landslide victory in the 13th parliamentary elections.
Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, Nazrul Islam Khan, a BNP Standing Committee member and head of the party’s election management committee, described polling day as a “significant moment” in Bangladesh’s political history. “The BNP is a tested democratic force. It is almost certain that the people are handing over the responsibility of governing the country to us,” he said.
While noting that the Election Commission had not yet formally announced the winners, Khan said unofficial results clearly showed that the BNP had secured more than a two-thirds majority in Parliament. “We have been receiving results since last night. Everything indicates that the people have placed their trust in the BNP,” he added.
Commenting on the referendum held alongside the election, Khan said the verdict appeared to be in favour of the ‘Yes’ camp. “The people’s position in the referendum is also clear,” he said.
He welcomed the fact that the election passed without major violence or loss of life. “There has been no casualty on polling day. That is a positive development,” Khan said, while acknowledging that the long gap between elections had damaged democratic culture in the country. “For a long time, people were deprived of their voting rights. That created a negative political culture,” he said.
Responding to complaints raised by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami over the results, Khan said the party might feel aggrieved but had not raised allegations against the BNP. “They may have grievances and they may lodge complaints. But they have not accused us of any wrongdoing,” he said.
Khan said the BNP had expected all its candidates to win. “Whatever the outcome, we must accept it and move forward. We believe our performance will be even better in the next election,” he added.
Emphasising the road ahead, Khan said the BNP faced significant responsibilities. “There is still a lot of work to be done. Meeting the expectations of the people will be the main priority of the next government,” he said.