DHAKA, Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party raced ahead of its political rival Jamaat-e-Islami late on Thursday, early counting showed, after polls closed in the country’s first general election since the 2024 popular mass uprising that toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in a ballot widely seen as pivotal to the nation’s political transition.
Vote counting was underway across Bangladesh after polls closed in the country’s general election. Clear trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, election commission officials said.
The race pits two coalitions led by former allies, BNP and Jamaat, with opinion polls giving the BNP a slight edge.
According to unofficial results cited by the Dhaka Tribune, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was leading in 115 seats, while Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was ahead in 32 constituencies.
The student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) was leading in two constituencies, according to the unofficial results.
Bangladesh’s parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 300 seats, with 151 required for a simple majority.
The BNP party declared on its official Facebook page that its chief and prime ministerial candidate Tarique Rahman had won one of the two seats he contested. Election authorities were yet to announce the result officially, however.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has won the Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6 constituencies, according to unofficial results, said Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of the BNP Media Cell on Thursday.
Earlier in the morning, Tarique cast his vote in the 13th national parliamentary election at the Gulshan Model High School and College centre in the capital.
The Election Commission (EC) has yet to release official consolidated results.
Polling stations closed at 4:30 pm local time (1030 GMT/3:30 PKT) after a day of voting held under tight security but largely peaceful conditions. Official polling hours ran from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, the EC said.
Officials said ballots were being counted manually and that the first significant results were expected overnight.
According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 47.91% votes were cast in 36,031 centres until 2:00 pm.
Briefing reporters at the Election Commission, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voting took place at 42,651 centres across the South Asian country.
“Until 2:00 pm, 47.91 percent votes have been cast in 36,031 centres. Though the rate was low at noon, it increased later,” he said.
A total of 127,298,522 voters in 299 constituencies were eligible to cast their ballots. Of them, 64,620,077 were male voters, 62,677,232 female voters and 1,213 third-gender voters.
Polling was held in 299 parliamentary constituencies, excluding Sherpur-3. The Election Commission cancelled the election there following the death of a candidate.
A total of 51 political parties participated in the election, with 2,034 candidates in the race, including 275 independent contenders.
The BNP fielded the highest number of 291 candidates, contesting with the paddy sheaf symbol.
Islami Andolon Bangladesh nominated 258 candidates with the hand fan symbol, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had 229 candidates with the Dari Palla (scales) symbol, and the Jatiya Party fielded 198 candidates with the plough symbol.
The National Citizen Party nominated 32 candidates with the water lily bud symbol.
There were 247,482 polling booths in 42,779 polling centres across the 299 constituencies.
A total of 55,454 observers from 81 domestic organisations, along with around 500 foreign observers, monitored the election.
Massive electoral exercise
The Commonwealth described the election as the largest democratic exercise globally in 2026.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the organisation said the vote set a “unique example on the global stage”.
More than 127 million voters were registered for the election. A total of 2,026 candidates contested the polls, including 78 women, according to official figures.
The parliamentary election was held alongside a national referendum. Authorities have not yet released turnout data.
Final results are expected after the completion of counting in all constituencies.
Election Commission hails ‘free, fair’ voting
In a statement, the Election Commission thanked political parties, candidates, law enforcement agencies, government and private officials involved in election duties, observers, media personnel and voters for their cooperation.
The EC said the polls were conducted in a “free, fair, neutral and festive atmosphere”.
It expressed gratitude for collective efforts to maintain order and ensure a peaceful environment nationwide, according to an official press release.
The election — Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary poll — comes nearly 18 months after a student-led movement forced Hasina from office, ending her 15-year authoritarian style rule. Her Awami League party has been barred from contesting.
More than 127 million voters were eligible to cast ballots across 299 constituencies. Voting in Sherpur-3 was postponed following the death of a candidate.
Heavy security, high turnout
Long queues formed outside polling stations from early morning, particularly in the capital Dhaka, reflected strong public engagement.
More than 300,000 soldiers and police were deployed nationwide, according to officials.
The Election Commission said nearly 958,000 members of the police, army and paramilitary forces were on duty across 42,659 polling stations. Police and army personnel were stationed outside most voting centres.
Earlier, Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said the vote was proceeding “smoothly in a free and fair manner” with “a few minor disruptions”, adding that the main threat was a flood of disinformation on social media.
UN experts had warned ahead of the vote of a “tsunami of disinformation”, particularly targeting millions of young first-time voters.
There were no reports of major violence. Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign period.
Yunus hails ‘new Bangladesh’
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, 85, who has governed since August 2024, cast his vote in Dhaka at around 10:00am local time at the Gulshan Model School and College polling station.
“This is a day of great joy. Today is the birthday of a new Bangladesh,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said after voting.
“Through today’s process, people have rejected the past. Whatever nightmarish past existed, we have completely discarded it.”
He added that the vote marked “the end of our nightmares and the beginning of new dreams”.
Yunus later visited several polling centres in the capital, including Badda High School and SOS Hermann Gmeiner College in Mirpur, speaking with voters and election officials.
He has championed a sweeping reform charter aimed at overhauling what he has described as a “completely broken” system and preventing a return to one-party rule.
Alongside the parliamentary vote, voters were also deciding on the National Charter 2025, a referendum proposing term limits for the prime minister, a new upper house, stronger presidential powers and greater judicial independence.
“This is very important. The whole of Bangladesh will change,” Yunus said, referring to the referendum.
He has said he will step down once a new government takes office.
Political competition
The main contest pits the BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, against a Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance that includes the National Citizens Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who played a central role in last year’s uprising.
Rahman, 60, expressed confidence ahead of the vote that his party could regain power.
After casting his ballot at his Gulshan office and visiting polling centres, he called on the Election Commission to publish results promptly.
“Voters must quickly know the outcome of the votes they cast,” he said, warning that any delay could create confusion.
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr Shafiqur Rahman said his party had mounted a disciplined grassroots campaign focused on justice and ending corruption.
Speaking at a briefing in the capital, he alleged that BNP supporters had attempted to occupy polling centres in some areas but praised the army for intervening swiftly.
“In several places, BNP supporters tried to take control of centres. However, the army freed those centres within a short time. The role of the army across the country is commendable,” he said.
Former US Congressman David Dreier, who is leading an International Republican Institute (IRI) election observation mission, described the vote as “free, fair and festive”.
“This is a very exciting day in the history of this wonderful country,” Dreier told the Dhaka Tribune after visiting polling stations in Gulshan.
He said he observed an orderly voting environment and strong public enthusiasm.
Despite largely calm conditions, some parties alleged irregularities.
Monira Sharmin, secretary of the NCP’s Election Management Committee, told reporters at the party’s temporary office in Banglamotor that voting was smooth until noon but complaints of misconduct surfaced later.
“Any attempt to manipulate the results will not be accepted,” she said, adding that authorities had taken no action on the complaints.
NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said the atmosphere was tense the previous night but that voting proceeded smoothly from Thursday morning, except for a few isolated incidents.
“This is my first time voting,” he said after casting his ballot at Government Laboratory High School in Dhaka. “For nearly 40 million young voters like me, this is a new experience.”
Chief Election Commissioner Nasir Uddin said public confidence in the Election Commission was being restored.
“If trust had not returned, so many people would not have come to the polling centres,” he said after voting in the capital.
Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman urged citizens to vote without fear.
“Please come out of your homes without fear, go to the polling stations and cast your votes,” he said after voting at Adamjee Cantonment College.
He described the day as “very important and joyful” and said the election was being held in a peaceful manner.
Voters seek change
Many voters expressed hope that the election would restore democratic governance.
“I am feeling excited because we are voting in a free manner after 17 years,” said Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, who said he last voted in 2008.
“This was my first vote,” said Shithi Goswami, 21, a student at Dhaka City College. “I hope after everything we went through the last few years, now is the time for something positive.”
Others voiced frustration. Some urban workers said they could not afford to travel to their home constituencies to vote. Some supporters of the barred Awami League said they felt disillusioned by their party’s exclusion.
Hasina, 78, fled to India after being ousted and was later sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity over the crackdown on protesters during her final months in power.
