Bangladesh Elections: High-octane political campaigning is in its final phase, with candidates intensifying their efforts to woo voters, as the national parliamentary elections in Bangladesh approach.

Candidates and their supporters are going door-to-door, organising rallies, speaking on microphones, and decorating the entire country with colourful posters and banners in the last leg of campaigning.

Bangladesh votes on 12 February. And the official campaigning ends 48 hours before voting begins, as per the election laws. Thus, the campaigning ends at 7.30 PM on 10 February.

Bangladesh has been witnessing widespread political and civil turmoil ever since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Hasina fled the country in a dramatic move amid student-led protests nationwide.

The country, under the leadership of interim leader Muhammad Yunus, has witnessed widespread protests and political turmoil, including violence and destruction of public property.

Ever since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime on 5 August 2024 and violence against minorities, particularly the Hindu community, India has had strained bilateral ties with Bangladesh.

Since the political change in Dhaka, India has restricted tourist visas for Bangladeshis and also withdrew families of Indian diplomats from Bangladesh, citing security concerns ahead of the 12 February elections.

The diplomatic tension has affected sports ties too. Last month, Bangladesh withdrew from the men’s T20 World Cup after the International Cricket Council declined a request to move their group matches from India to the co-hosts Sri Lanka.

Here are details on the elections, key players, and the expected time of the result.

-The election campaigning that started on January 22, 2026 ends today, February 10, 2026.

-The polling day is February 12, 2026. Citizens may vote from 7.30 am to 4.30 pm.

-A nationwide referendum on the July National Charter, which includes key constitutional reforms, will also take place simultaneously.

-The vote count will begin at 4 pm on February 12.

-The Election Commission will officially announce the results in the morning of February 13, as and when the counting is complete.

As many as 127 million people are eligible to vote in the February 12 elections

Only Bangladeshi citizens who are 18 years old or older on the day of the election are eligible to cast their votes, provided their names are on the final voter list compiled by the Election Commission.

The main electoral battle is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman and a newly formed 11-party alliance, officially known as the ‘Like-minded 11 Parties.’ The alliance is led by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party.

The Awami League, of which Sheikh Hasina is the President, is currently suspended and barred from contesting elections.

The Bangladesh Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad has 350 seats, including 300 directly elected seats and 50 reserved seats for women.

To form a government, a party or coalition needs a simple majority of directly elected seats — at least 151 seats out of 300. The 50 women’s reserved seats are allocated after the election results, based on a party’s share of the 300. These don’t affect the initial threshold for forming the government.

Members of Parliament serve five-year terms.

Bangladesh is divided into eight divisions, 64 districts and 495 upazilas (councils). Local governments manage municipal services, education and rural development, though they depend heavily on funding and authority from the central government.

While winning 151 of the 300 seats gives a party a basic working majority, a two-thirds super-majority required for major constitutional changes without opposition support would be at least 200 seats.

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