Bangladesh is holding itsfirst national election, after the ouster ofSheikh Hasinafollowing a mass uprising, on Thursday, February 12. The transition is being overseen by an interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, which has pledged a fair vote. The polls come at a delicate moment, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by late Khaleda Zia's sonTarique Rahman, seeking a political comeback, and the Jamaat-e-Islami, whose political space had shrunk under Hasina’s tenure, attempting to expand its presence. For India, the outcome carries significant strategic implications - from border security to regional connectivity and balancing China’s footprint in the Bay of Bengal.
As Bangladesh votes to pick the new government, the Yunus-led administration has stated that it is committed to holding elections that are free, fair and peaceful. The election of a new Parliament of Bangladesh will involve more than 127 million eligible voters in the nation of some 170 million people, with 1,981 candidates contesting parliamentary seats nationwide.
The Bangladesh Parliament comprises 350 lawmakers. Of these, 300 are elected directly from single-member constituencies, while an additional 50 seats are reserved for women. Elections are conducted under a first-past-the-post system in Bangladesh, and each Parliament serves a five-year term.
Bangladeshi citizens living abroad will be able to participate through a postal voting system for the first time in this election. The move is intended to broaden electoral participation by including the country's large expatriate population.
Bangladesh, born out of the 1971 Liberation War in which India played a decisive military role, remains one of New Delhi’s most strategically significant neighbours.
India and Bangladesh share nearly 4,000 km long border - the longest India shares with any neighbour - parts of which remain unfenced. The shared border makes stability in Dhaka a direct security concern for New Delhi. Illegal immigration through porous stretches, especially along the riverine terrain, has remained a sensitive security issue, particularly for West Bengal and the seven sisters.
Also, counter-terror cooperations have been a key pillar of India-Bangladesh ties. In the past, Dhaka has handed over wanted militants to New Delhi, including the top ULFA leader Anup Chetia, who was transferred to Indian custody after being detained in Bangladesh. Any shift in Dhaka’s internal security posture or cooperation framework could directly impact New Delhi's calculus.
For India, Bangladesh is also central to the broader strategic contest in the region. China has significantly expanded its footprint in Bangladesh under Muhammad Yunus. Beijing has stepped up its investment and diplomatic outreach in Dhaka, most recently signing a defence deal to build adrone factorynear Bangladesh's border with India, a territory once earmarked for India.
China has been Bangladesh’s largest trading partner for more than a decade, with annual bilateral trade hovering around $18 billion and imports of Chinese goods accounting for nearly 95% of the total and after Hasina's ouster Chinese companies have poured hundreds of millions of dollars in Bangladesh. "China is steadily building its influence both in the open and behind the scenes, benefiting from the crisis in India-Bangladesh relations," Constantino Xavier, a senior fellow at New Delhi think tank Centre for Social and Economic Progress, told Reuters. And under the new government, Beijing is likely to attempt to expand its footprints.
If Delhi and Dhaka are unable to get things back on track, after months of tensions over Hasina staying in India, the new government may find it natural to tilt towards Beijing.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
