The Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by the son of a former prime minister was projected to form the next government as the South Asian nation on Thursday held its first election since mass protests toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2024.

The BNP has been vocal in demanding Hasina’s return. Senior party leaders have described the matter as both a legal obligation and a question of national sovereignty.

The vote, held across 299 constituencies, began on Thursday around 7.30 am, which was the first general election since the 2024 uprising that ended Hasina’s 15-year tenure.

A reset of the frayed relationship is possible, say analysts. But it will require restraint - and reciprocity.

Bangladesh is set to vote in its general elections on February 12, its first since the ouster of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government.

A landmark election in Bangladesh ended years of disputed polls, and now the winners face pressure to tackle corruption and a battered economy.

BROOKLYN, NY, UNITED STATES, February 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Samiha Hoque, a Bangladeshi-American author and

Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has demanded the cancellation of the "voterless, illegal and unconstitutional" election in Bangladesh in her first statement after the polls concluded.

BNP's Tarique Rahman is set to become Bangladesh's first male prime minister since 1991 when his mother, late Khaleda Zia, held the top post.