• Votes being counted in Bangladesh election.
• Results expected to be clear by Friday.
• Referendum on constitutional reforms ran in parallel.
  

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is ahead of Jamaat-e-Islami following heavy voter turnout in a pivotal national election, early counting showed on Thursday.

It was the first vote since the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising that toppled long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina.

Analysts say a clear outcome is crucial for stability in the nation of 175 million after months of deadly anti‑Hasina unrest disrupted everyday life and hit major industries, including the garment sector, the world’s second largest exporter.

It was also the first national election to follow the recent under-30, Gen Z‑led uprisings that have cropped up through the wider region, with Nepal set to hold a vote next month.

Counting began at 4:30pm (1030 GMT) at most booths, immediately after polls closed with clear trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, Election Commission officials said.

Contest between former allies

The race pits two coalitions led by former allies, BNP and Jamaat, with opinion polls giving the BNP a slight edge.

BNP was leading in 50 seats and Jamaat in 18, local TV news stations said. Bangladesh’s parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 300 seats, with 151 required for a simple majority.

The 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 members clapped and cheered loudly as they celebrated outside the party office in Dhaka on hearing the news of his victory, visuals on the Facebook page showed.

Turnout appeared on track to exceed the 42% recorded in the last election in 2024. Local media reported that more than 60% of registered voters were expected to have cast ballots.

Hasina calls vote a farce 

Hasina’s Awami League is banned, and she remains in self‑imposed exile in long-term ally India, opening the window for China to expand its influence in Bangladesh as Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi fray.

Elections under Hasina were frequently marred by boycotts and intimidation, critics say.

In a statement sent to journalists on WhatsApp, Hasina denounced the election as a “carefully planned farce”, held without her party and without real voter participation. She said Awami League supporters had rejected the process.

“We demand the cancellation of this voterless, illegal, and unconstitutional election … the removal of the suspension imposed on the activities of the Awami League; and the restoration of the people’s voting rights through the arrangement of a free, fair, and inclusive election under a neutral caretaker government,” she said.

Alongside the election, a referendum was held on a set of constitutional reforms, including establishing a neutral interim government for election periods, restructuring parliament into a bicameral legislature, increasing women’s representation, strengthening judicial independence and a two-term limit for the prime minister.

More than 2,000 candidates – including many independents -were on the ballot, and at least 50 parties contested, a national record. Voting in one constituency was postponed after a candidate died.

Long lines of voters, heavy security  

There were no reports of major violence.

Around 958,000 personnel from the police, army and paramilitary forces were deployed throughout the country, the Election Commission said. Police and army personnel were stationed outside most polling booths.

“I am feeling excited because we are voting in a free manner after 17 years,” Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, said as he waited in line. “Our votes will matter and have meaning.”

Many voters echoed that sentiment, telling Reuters that the atmosphere felt freer and more festive than previous elections.

Kamal Chowdhury, 31, who works as a driver for a company in Dhaka and travelled to his hometown in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria to cast his vote, said: “It feels festive here.”

Outside a polling booth in Dhaka where BNP chief Tarique Rahman and head of the interim government Muhammad Yunus voted, policemen were on horses with saddle blankets proclaiming: “Police are here, vote without fear.”

• India to purchase 114 French Rafale: ministry source.
• Aviation could manufacture 90 jets in country: Indian media.
• Procurement to enhance “deterrence capabilities”, says ministry.
  

NEW DELHI: Indian officials have cleared the proposed purchase of $39 billion worth of defence equipment, including more Rafale jets, the defence ministry said on Thursday, days ahead of a visit by France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

A defence ministry source told AFP that the decision covers the purchase of 114 French Rafale fighter jets, adding to a few dozen already ordered for the Indian Air Force.

New Delhi has sought over the past decade to reduce its dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, turning to other countries while pushing to boost domestic production.

A defence ministry statement that did not specify the number of jets under the proposed deal said that “the majority” of them would be manufactured in India.

Media reports in India, citing unnamed government sources, suggested Dassault Aviation could manufacture at least 90 jets in the country under the deal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has considered such a major order of multi-role fighter aircraft for years, pushing all potential suppliers to transfer technology and manufacturing to India.

The defence ministry statement said the procurement would enhance the air force’s “dominance” and “deterrence capabilities… with long range offensive strikes”.

The purchase was approved by the defence acquisition council, which comprises top military officers and the defence minister, and can now move to commercial negotiations.

These would be followed by a final approval by the powerful cabinet committee on security, which is chaired by the prime minister.

Macron is set to visit India on Tuesday.

Ageing fleet

The Indian air force has retired some of its ageing aircraft, and now has a fleet of 29 jets — well below the officially approved 42.

Bureaucratic hurdles and insufficient domestic production have been blamed for the shortage.

In September, New Delhi announced a $7-billion deal to acquire 97 domestically designed and built Tejas jets.

The announcement came a day before the air force retired its Soviet-era MiG-21s.

Russian MiG-29s and French Mirage 2000 are expected to retire over the next few years.

Gradually turning away from Russian military gear, India has increased imports from the United States, France and Israel.

Since 2015, India has bought 36 Rafale jets worth around $8.7 billion and in April announced a fresh multi-billion dollar deal to buy 26 more.

Modi’s government has also liberalised laws to ease private investments in domestic defence manufacturing.

A four-day conflict with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan last year highlighted the need for Delhi to upgrade its defence capabilities.

Pakistan shot down several Indian jets, including three advanced French Rafale planes, during the four-day conflict in May 2025.

New Delhi pledged a record $85 billion defence budget earlier this month, a sum which defence minister Rajnath Singh described as “unprecedented”.

Last year, Singh announced an agreement with France to jointly design and manufacture a 120 kN jet engine within the next decade.

With an eye on Beijing’s growing influence in the key Indian Ocean shipping lanes, Delhi is also pushing to rapidly modernise its navy.

The country is in the process of placing orders for at least 75 ships and submarines, most of them built locally, the defence ministry said in December.

Bangladeshis turned out in large numbers at polling stations on Thursday to cast their votes in an election widely seen as key to restoring stability and economic growth following the 2024 removal of long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a Gen Z-led uprising.

Analysts say a clear mandate is vital for ensuring steady governance in the nation of 175 million, after anti-Hasina protests sparked months of unrest and disrupted major industries, including the country’s massive garments sector — the world’s second-largest exporter.

The race features two rival coalitions led by former allies — the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami — with opinion polls indicating an advantage for the BNP.