BNP vs Jamaat-e-Islami: Who Are The Main Players In Bangladesh Election

 Bangladesh is voting in a high-stakes parliamentary election, the first since a deadly 2024 student-led uprising forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from power and reshaped the country’s political landscape.

Long queues were seen outside polling stations in Dhaka and other major cities as voting began in the South Asian nation of 170 million people. More than 300,000 police and security personnel have been deployed across the country amid warnings from international observers about political tensions, intolerance and disinformation during the campaign.

BNP vs Jamaat-e-Islami: The central battle

With Hasina’s Awami League barred from contesting by the interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the principal contest is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a newly formed 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP).

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)

The BNP is led by Tarique Rahman, 60, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia. Rahman returned from years in exile in London after the fall of the Awami League government and has since taken over as party chairperson following his mother’s death in December 2025.

Rahman has campaigned on restoring democratic institutions, reviving the economy and ensuring law and order. Several cases filed against him during Hasina’s tenure were dropped after the regime change. Opinion polls suggest the BNP holds a lead nationally, though some surveys indicate a close race.

The BNP is contesting as part of a broader 10-party coalition.

Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance

Challenging the BNP is an 11-party bloc led by Jamaat-e-Islami, headed by Dr Shafiqur Rahman, 67. A former political prisoner, Shafiqur has run an extensive grassroots campaign and positioned Jamaat as a disciplined alternative focused on governance reforms and democratic rights.

If victorious, the alliance could form the first Islamist-led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh. The coalition includes the National Citizen Party, which emerged from the student movement that spearheaded the 2024 protests.

Political backdrop

Sheikh Hasina, who ruled for 15 years, was sentenced to death in absentia on charges linked to the crackdown on protesters during her final months in office. She remains outside the country. Her Awami League’s exclusion from the ballot has dramatically altered the electoral landscape.

Interim leader Muhammad Yunus, 85, who took charge after the uprising, has said he will step down once a new government assumes office. Analysts say the credibility of the vote and acceptance of results by all parties will be critical for stability.

Campaigning saw sporadic violence, with police reporting multiple clashes and injuries.

Stance on India

India-Bangladesh ties have also emerged as a talking point.

The BNP has historically taken a more sceptical view of New Delhi compared with the Awami League, raising concerns over trade, transit and water-sharing arrangements during Khaleda Zia’s previous terms in office.

Jamaat-e-Islami has often been seen as critical of India, though Shafiqur Rahman has recently emphasised the importance of maintaining neighbourly relations, stating that geography makes cooperation unavoidable.

What is the majority mark?

Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangsad comprises 350 seats, including 300 directly elected members and 50 reserved seats for women allocated proportionally after the results.

To form the government, a party or coalition must secure at least 151 of the 300 directly elected seats , a simple majority. Members of Parliament serve five-year terms.

As counting begins later in the day, the outcome will determine not just the next prime minister but also the direction of Bangladesh’s democracy after one of the most turbulent phases in its recent history.