Bangladesh kicks off election campaign ahead of Feb 12 vote, first since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster — Top updates

Campaigning began on 22 January for Bangladesh’s much-anticipated general elections next month, the first since the 2024 uprising ended the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina.

The campaigning for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election formally kicked offfollowing the allocation of election symbols and confirmation of final candidates, marking the start of full-scale political activity ahead of the voting next month.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people votes on February 12 for 350 lawmakers, ushering in new leadership after prolonged political turmoil following the overthrow of Hasina's government, reshaping domestic and regional power dynamics, news agency AFP said.

The upcoming voting comes against the backdrop of insecurity --including the murder last month of a student leader of the anti-Hasina protests - as well as warnings of a "flood" of online disinformation.

European Union election observers say the vote will be the “biggest democratic process of 2026,” AFP reported.

The Election Commission (EC) will also begin training more than 800,000 presiding and assistant presiding officers from January 22 as part of preparations for the general elections scheduled to be held on February 12 alongside a referendum. The training programme will continue until February 7, said Muhammad Hasanuzzaman, director general of the Election Training Institute (ETI) on Wednesday.

Voting, along with a nationwide referendum, will be held on February 12. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is set to launch its official campaign from Sylhet, with party chairman Tarique Rahman scheduled to join rallies in seven districts on the first day today.

Tarique Rahman, 60, who returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile. Rahman assumed formal leadership of the BNP after the death in December of his mother, 80-year-old former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman will begin his campaign on Thursday in the Dhaka-15 constituency and will tour eight districts in the northern region over the next two days, AFP said.

The BNP has fielded 288 candidates for the elections. The party aims to make a strong comeback as it faces tough competition from rival political groups.

Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated 224 candidates, while the Jatiya Party has put forward 192 contestants for the electoral race. The Islamic Andolan Bangladesh Party has also announced a sizeable list with 253 candidates in the fray.

As many as 249 independent candidates will also be contesting in the elections, adding more intensity to the multi-party race. The National Citizens Party, which is contesting in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami, has announced 32 candidates of its own.

Bangladesh, home to one of the world's largest Muslim-majority populations, has a significant Sufi following, and parties have traditionally launched campaigns in Sylhet, home to the centuries-old shrine of Shah Jalal.

Lines of supporters lined both sides the streets as Rahman prayed at the shrine on Wednesday night, cheering as his election bus passed by, with his countrywide roadshow of rallies to begin later Thursday.

Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposes Sufi mystical interpretations of the Quran, begins its campaign in the capital Dhaka, in the constituency of its leader Shafiqur Rahman.

Since Hasina fled to India, key Islamist leaders have been released from prison, and Islamist groups have grown increasingly assertive.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising, and who have formed an alliance with Jamaat, will also launch their rally in Dhaka.

Yunus said he inherited a "completely broken" political system, and championed a reform charter he argues is vital to prevent a return to authoritarian rule, with a referendum on the changes to be held on the same day as polling.

"If you cast the 'yes' vote, the door to building the new Bangladesh will open," Yunus said on January 19, in a broadcast to the nation urging support for the referendum.

"They have flooded social media with fake news, rumours and speculation," Yunus said, blaming both "foreign media and local sources".

Bangladesh's relations with India have soured, after Hasina escaped to her old ally New Delhi as protesters stormed her palace.

Hasina, 78, sentenced to death in absentia in November for crimes against humanity for the deadly crackdown on protesters in her failed bid to cling to power, remains in in India.

Earlier this week, India classified the Bangladesh as a “non-family” posting its diplomats and advised dependents of Mission and Post officials to return home, The move came as a precautionary measure, with rising communal incidents raising concerns over the safety of minorities, according to media reports.

“As a precautionary measure, we have advised the dependents of officials at the high commission and four assistant high commissions to return to India,” one of the people said, reported Hindustan Times.

Indian missions have faced security threats, particularly after the killing of Islamist youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December 2025.

In the upcoming general election scheduled for 12 February, the Indian side has reached out to the BNP, widely expected to emerge as the single-largest party in Bangladesh, according to a report in Hindustan Times.

(With agency inputs)