Voting in Bangladesh after the coup and severe violence. Image:AP
Bangladesh Election 2026: There has been a major political change in Bangladesh after a long time. In 2024, a major student movement toppled the government of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. That movement resulted in violence, in which about 1,400 people were killed and thousands were injured. Now very important general elections are going to be held in Bangladesh on 12 February 2026.
After the violence, Sheikh Hasina fled to India and is in exile there. His party Awami League has been banned from doing politics. Voting for the general elections on 12 February 2026 is a historic occasion for the country, as elections are being held for the first time after the major student revolution in 2024.
What happened in 2024?
In July-August 2024, students organized a major agitation against the job quota system. The government tried hard to suppress it, during which more than 1400 people died in the violence. Due to this revolution, Sheikh Hasina, who was the Prime Minister for a long time, had to flee the country. His party Awami League was banned. After that, an interim government of Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus was formed, which is still running the country.
Election for 300 seats
The election for Parliament to be held on February 12 is the 13th general election in Bangladesh. The election campaign has ended on 10th February. Around 12.7 crore will cast their vote from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. In which there are more young voters for the first time. 1.5 crore people living abroad can also vote through postal ballot. There are 350 seats in the Bangladesh Parliament. This election is being held for a total of 300 seats. 50 are reserved for women, which will be decided later.
A record 9 lakh security personnel have been deployed for security. Drones, body cameras, CCTV and live feed are being used. 500 foreign observers are also keeping an eye.
Main parties and coalitions
This time Awami League is not contesting the elections, so the old fight between the two big parties is over. Now the main contest is between two alliances.
- Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP): This is a right wing party. It is led by Khaleda Zia’s son Tariq Rehman. He made a comeback after 17 years in December 2025. BNP has formed an alliance of 10 parties.
- Jamaat-e-Islami (JIB): This is an Islamic party. It is being led by Shafiqur Rahman. He has formed an alliance of 11 parties, which also includes the National Citizen Party (NCP). NCP has been formed by the youth of the 2024 student movement.
Both these alliances were earlier together against Hasina, but are now contesting the elections separately.
2 votes have to be cast
This time in Bangladesh every voter will have to cast 2 votes. The first vote will be for elections and the second vote will be for constitutional referendum. The election will also be accompanied by a national referendum. This July is on the National Charter 2025. This includes reforms like changing the constitution, law reforms, limiting the tenure of the Prime Minister, increasing control on power. These reforms were decided after the 2024 movement. The result of the referendum will show how much people support these changes.
what is at stake?
This election is very important for Bangladesh. For the first time, the youth have emerged as such a big force; it was they who ousted Hasina. If BNP wins, relations with India can improve and foreign policy can remain balanced. If the alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami wins, it may become closer to Pakistan, Turkey or China-America.
Keeping out Awami League supporters could affect the larger vote bank. Issues like corruption, law and order, women’s rights and economic situation are big in the country. The election results will affect the country’s politics, constitution and foreign relations for a long time. This election is like a new beginning for the democracy of Bangladesh. People are hoping that this will bring stability and reforms in the country.
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