India did not send observers for Bangladesh polls: MEA

Randhir Jaiswal

• India declined to send poll observers to Bangladesh elections
• BNP leads Bangladesh polls, formal results awaited
• India backs free and fair elections in Bangladesh

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Reiterating New Delhi's commitment towards free, fair, inclusive and credible elections, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that India had declined Dhaka's invitation to send observers for February 12 polls.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday (February 13) appeared headed for a decisive victory in the South Asian nation's general elections as counting progressed for the polls to elect a government that would replace the interim administration, which took charge after the collapse of the Awami League regime in August 2024.

Multiple media tallies showed the BNP had won more than 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament. The Election Commission (EC) is yet to make a formal announcement.

During his weekly briefing on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about both Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami in their manifestos mentioning "robust defence plans", and if that is a cause for concern for India.

"The election is going on in Bangladesh. We should wait for the outcome of the elections to see as to what sort of mandate has come...and thereafter, we will look at issues that are there. On the election per se, you know what our position has been. We stand for a free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh," he said.

Jaiswal was also asked for a comment on a United Nations sanctions monitoring report mentioning a Pakistan-based terror outfit in the context of the Red Fort blast in Delhi last November.

"This particular report that you refer to, it is available in the public domain. It is online. This was the 37th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. This was published on February 4, 2026.

"And, we have seen that they have taken onboard our inputs, India's inputs in regard to our concern on cross-border terrorism, and also as to how we can strengthen global fight against terrorism," the MEA spokesperson said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, met with several election observation delegations as the country prepared for the 13th national elections, whose voting concluded on Thursday. The elections are taking place nearly two years after the July 2024 Uprising.

The election observation delegation included the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the Voice for Justice Observers.

In a series of posts on X, Yunus stated that the five-member delegation from the IRI, led by former US Congressman David Dreirer met with the Chief Adviser on Tuesday at the State Guest House Jamuna.

On Wednesday, a seven-member ANFREL delegation, led by Chairperson Rohana Hettiarachchi, met with Yunus at the same venue. Later the same day, a four-member team from the Voice for Justice Observers, led by Convenor of the Voice for Justice World Forum and Consultant to the UK Ministry of Education, Hasanat M Husain, also called on the Chief Adviser.