'We will urge Indian govt to send Sheikh Hasina back to face trial': BNP leader after party sweeps Bangladesh polls

Hasina left the country for India after her administration was toppled during the 2024 student-led uprising. Her government had maintained close ties with New Delhi.

• BNP to seek Hasina's extradition from India after election win
• BNP wins majority in Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami leads 75 seats
• Six BNP women candidates won; voter turnout was 59.44%

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The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has said it will formally move to bring back former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India following its emphatic victory in the latest parliamentary elections.

Addressing reporters in Dhaka on Friday, party leader Salahuddin Ahmed stated that the matter would be pursued through official channels. “It is a matter between the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh and the Foreign Ministry of India. We will urge the government of India to send her back to face trial,” he said. He added that the BNP would “press for her extradition in accordance with the law.”

Hasina left the country for India after her administration was toppled during the 2024 student-led uprising. Her government had maintained close ties with New Delhi.

The BNP, led by Tarique Rahman -- the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia -- secured a decisive mandate in Thursday’s polls, which marked the first general election since the upheaval that forced Hasina from office.

According to media reports, the party crossed the halfway mark in the 300-member directly elected chamber, leading or winning in over 151 constituencies. The Jamaat-e-Islami, which heads an 11-party coalition, was reported to be ahead in around 75 seats as of noon on Friday.

Voter participation stood at 59.44 per cent, the Election Commission confirmed. Nearly 127 million citizens were registered to vote, including five million first-time participants.

Balloting was conducted across 42,779 polling stations in 299 of the country’s 300 constituencies. Polling in one seat was called off following the death of a candidate.

Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad consists of 350 lawmakers -- 300 elected through direct voting and 50 additional seats reserved for women.

This election was notable for the absence of a woman at the forefront of national politics, a departure from decades of dominance by Hasina and her rival Khaleda Zia.

The Awami League, headed by Hasina, was barred from contesting, while Zia passed away in December after a prolonged illness.

Seven women secured seats in the 13th parliamentary contest, according to unofficial tallies cited by local media. Six of them were nominees of the BNP: Afroza Khan Rita (Manikganj-3), Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto (Jhalokati-2), Tahsina Rushdir Luna (Sylhet-2), Shama Obaid (Faridpur-2), Nayab Yusuf Kamal (Faridpur-3), and Farzana Sharmin Putul (Natore-1).

Barrister Rumin Farhana, previously expelled from the BNP, won as an independent from Brahmanbaria-2.

The BNP had fielded 10 women among its 300 candidates, and six of them emerged victorious based on unofficial counts released after voting and counting concluded nationwide.