After the Uprising

Bangladesh’s latest election marks a dramatic return to competitive politics after years of political closure, but it does so through a mostly familiar cast of characters. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has swept to power with a commanding majority, positioning its leader Tarique Rahman to take over as prime minister, barely eighteen months after mass, youth-led protests forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out and ended the Awami League’s long, increasingly authoritarian grip on the state.

The result is both a release of pent-up public anger and a reminder of how hard it is for Bangladesh to escape the gravitational pull of dynastic politics. The scale of the BNP’s victory reflects a clear public verdict on the Hasina era. After fifteen years in power, the Awami League had come to be seen less as a ruling party and more as a permanent regime, intolerant of dissent and reliant on coercive institutions to manage politics. The Gen Z-led uprising that broke this order was not merely about changing governments; it was about reclaiming political space. In that sense, the election is a historic correction. Voters have used the ballot to close a chapter that many felt had become immune to democratic pressure. Yet the transition is not as clean as the numbers suggest.

The Awami League’s exclusion from the contest casts a long shadow over the process, even for those who welcomed its downfall. Democracy is strengthened not just by the defeat of an unpopular ruler, but by the presence of credible competition. Add to this the mutual accusations of irregularities and the strikingly poor representation of women among candidates and the picture that emerges is of a system still in repair rather than fully restored. Mr Rahman now carries a double burden. On one hand, he leads a government with the parliamentary strength to attempt serious constitutional and institutional reforms, including changes aimed at limiting executive overreach and strengthening judicial independence. On the other, he is the heir to a political lineage that symbolises the very continuity many young protesters were rebelling against.

His long exile and limited governing experience only sharpen the question: will he use this mandate to open up the system, or to consolidate a new version of winner-takes-all politics? For India, the outcome matters in practical terms as much as symbolic ones. Relations with Dhaka had become closely tied to the Hasina government’s preferences and calculations. A BNP-led administration will inevitably seek to rebalance that relationship. New Delhi should read this not as a setback or windfall, but as a chance to anchor ties in institutions, trade, and people-to-people links rather than in the fortunes of any single leader. Ultimately, the election is best seen as a beginning, not a conclusion. The fall of Sheikh Hasina and the rise of the BNP answer the question of who governs. They do not yet answer the more important one: whether Bangladesh can finally build a political order where power changes hands without uprisings, exclusions, or fear.

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For Indian policymakers, the real challenge in resetting ties with Dhaka is not one of intent but of calibration, understanding what is politically feasible in Bangladesh's new landscape, and what is not.

Corruption claims surface in Bangladesh as Tarique Rahman prepares to take charge; Yunus’ aide under scrutiny

The controversy places early pressure on Bangladesh’s political transition, with questions emerging over accountability in the outgoing administration as new leadership prepares to assume control.

North-East looks forward to stable, friendly Bangladesh under BNP rule

As the detailed preparations for the much-awaited general election in Bangladesh fructified without any untoward ado last Thursday, and the results the next day showed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP, led by Tarique Rahman) had established a landslide victory, the people of North-East India now expect a stable, progressive and friendly regime in Dhaka.

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After the Uprising

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