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Bangladesh completed polling for the wide predetermination and referendum for law changes connected Thursday (February 12, 2026). Polling started successful 36,031 predetermination centres astatine 7.30 a.m. and ended astatine 4:30 p.m. with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) accusing Jamaat-e-Islami, person of an 11-party alliance, of intimidating voters successful assorted locations. In total, 2,028 candidates are successful the fray for the predetermination that volition pave the mode for handover of powerfulness from the interim authorities to an elected administration.
Bangladesh election: Follow LIVE updates connected February 12, 2026
Soon aft the polling process, enactment symbols-bearing achromatic ballot papers of the parliamentary predetermination and pinkish ballots containing ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes for the referendum connected ‘July Charter’ were being collected to beryllium counted overnight. Credible aboriginal trends of the results are expected to trickle successful by aboriginal greeting of Friday (February 13, 2026), enactment sources said.
“The spontaneous information of voters, the liable behaviour of governmental parties, the restraint shown by candidates, and the professionalism of each institutions progressive successful the electoral process collectively demonstrated that our committedness to ideology remains unwavering,” said Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, successful a connection aft the voting concluded.
The predetermination was preceded by allegations of elector power that were levelled by the BNP against Jamaat aft a person of the Islamist enactment was caught successful Saidpur airdrome successful northbound Bangladesh with 74 lakhs taka connected Wednesday. The BNP alleged that respective different akin incidents had besides travel to light.
However Jamaat denied the allegation and said the incidental was “stage managed” by information agencies. Both the BNP and Jamaat sent delegations to the Election Commission precocious Wednesday nighttime to spot their versions regarding the lawsuit earlier officials. Several incidents of violence, intimidation and elector influencing were reported from antithetic parts of the state during the polling.
The BNP Election Steering Committee alleged that, successful Khulna, Mohibuzzaman Kachi, a person of the metropolitan BNP sustained injuries successful a scuffle with Jamaat workers aft helium reportedly “opposed manipulating votes” wrong the centre. The BNP steering committee’s spokesperson Mahdi Amin said “stronger and much broad enactment could person prevented these incidents much effectively.”
Among apical leaders, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of the BNP voted astatine Thakurgaon successful northbound Bangladesh. Party president Tarique Rahman is contesting from Dhaka 17 successful Gulshan neighbourhood of the capital, Jamaat person Shafiqur Rahman is contesting successful Dhaka-15 successful 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 contention is taking spot successful Dhaka-8 wherever the BNP’s strongman Mirza Abbas is being challenged by the NCP’s Nasiruddin Patowary. Dhaka-8 is the spot wherever young Islamist Sharif Osman Hadi of Inquilab Mancho was readying to contention earlier helium was changeable dormant successful December 2025. Mr. Patowary’s situation is important arsenic helium 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 campaigner Rumin Farhana successful Brahmanbaria, and anti-Hasina uprising pupil person Hasnat Abdullah from Comilla-4 are among the prima precocious illustration candidates.
This predetermination has witnessed information of 51 governmental parties, including Jatiyo Party that was an state of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Ms. Hasina’s Awami League remains banned and was not successful the tract for the archetypal clip successful Bangladesh’s history. According to the Election Commission, till 2 PM, canvass percent was astir 47.91% with anticipation of greater footfall during the closing minutes of the poll.
While brisk polling was witnessed successful astir parts of Bangladesh successful the greeting arsenic good arsenic successful the concluding hours, debased voting was reported from the Awami League’s strongholds of Madaripur, Shariatpur, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Bagerhat, Thakurgaon, Jamalpur and aggregate seats of Mymensingh district. In a connection sent to the media, Ms. Hasina, who is based successful India, said “workers of the Awami League, and well-wishers and number spiritual communities of Bangladesh were being intimidated implicit the past respective days.”
The Ministry of External Affairs successful New Delhi reiterated its presumption connected the request for a “free, fair, inclusive and credible predetermination successful Bangladesh”. Official Spokesperson of the MEA Randhir Jaiswal said the interim authorities of Bangladesh had invited India to nonstop observers. “We person not sent our observers to Bangladesh.”
The predetermination was portion of the mandate fixed to the interim authorities led by Mr. Yunus that had taken complaint aft the overthrow of the Hasina authorities successful August 2024. Though it was expected that the predetermination would beryllium held wrong a fewer months, the full process was postponed arsenic Bangladesh dealt with administrative uncertainty and a bid of reforms.
On the archetypal day of the autumn of Ms. Hasina’s government, Mr. Yunus announced that the wide predetermination would beryllium held up of Ramzan successful the archetypal fortnight of February 2026. This announcement was followed by the motorboat of the ‘July Charter’, a acceptable of principles that were adopted by the interim authorities successful consultation with assorted governmental parties that envisages important changes to the existing constitution of Bangladesh. Mr. Yunus has announced that the interim authorities volition manus implicit powerfulness ‘soon’ aft the predetermination effect is announced and the incoming authorities volition person the work of implementing the changes successful the constitution arsenic mentioned successful the July Charter.
Bangladesh Elections Vox Pop
Bangladesh Elections Vox Pop | Video Credit: The Hindu
