Bangladesh Election Result 2026: ‘Dark Prince’ Tarique Rahman leads BNP to landmark victory | World News

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Deputy Chairman Tarique Rahman led his party to a landslide victory in the February 12 parliamentary elections, marking a significant comeback for the BNP.

The Election Commission on Friday announced the official results for 297 seats in the 13th National Parliament elections. According to the results, the BNP-led alliance won 212 seats. The Jamaat-e-Islami alliance won 77 seats, while Islami Andolan Bangladesh and independent candidates won one and seven seats each, respectively.

According to Prothom Alo’s report, the EC said that the Chittagong-2 and Chittagong-4 results were postponed due to ongoing cases and despite the results being announced, the Sherpur-2 paper will not be published yet.

Individually, BNP won 209 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68 seats. Other winning parties include Jatiya Nagorik Party (6), Bangladesh Khelafat Assembly (2), Khelafat Assembly (1), Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP (1), Gana Sanghati Andolan (1) and Gana Adhikar Parishad (1).

Who is Tarique Rahman?

Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of former President Ziaur Rahman and three-time Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, returned to Bangladesh in December 2025 after 17 years of exile. Her return comes amid political turmoil following the July 2024 violence that ended Sheikh Hasina’s long tenure. Following Khaleda Zia’s death in December 2025, Tarique, who had previously managed party affairs as Deputy Chairman, officially became the BNP Chairman.

A seasoned political strategist, Tarique earned the nickname “The Black Prince” during the BNP-led coalition government of 2001 to 2006, when he gained considerable influence from Hawa Bhaban, a building often referred to as the “shadow PMO”. His political course included arrests, sentences in absentia, and medical exile; most of these were later removed following a student-led uprising in August 2024.

The February elections replaced the interim administration led by Muhammad Younis, which came to power after the collapse of Hasina’s government. With the Awami League’s withdrawal from the contest, the contest turned into a direct contest between the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, with the BNP dominating. In the first count, with 204 out of 299 seats, it was seen that BNP was ahead in 158 seats, Jamaat-e-Islami was ahead in 41 seats and others were ahead in five seats. The party stated that Tarique Rahman would be the prime ministerial candidate if it forms the government.

Implications for India

India closely watched Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections, the first since the violent coup in July 2024 that toppled Sheikh Hasina and sent her into exile. Delhi sees the strong performance of radical Islamist groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami or their role in the BNP-led coalition as a clear red line. Such an outcome could sour bilateral relations, pull Dhaka towards Pakistan and China, and erode India’s regional influence; It could also raise fears that Bangladesh could become a hub for Pakistan-linked militants threatening India’s eastern border, amid existing tensions with Islamabad and Beijing.

Therefore, these elections are of great importance for India; It will determine whether Dhaka remains a reliable ally against Chinese and Pakistani influence, thus preventing the risk of border tensions escalating into broader security problems.