Bangladesh election 2026: First poll since Sheikh Hasina's ouster on Feb 12 -- Find voting date, key parties, opinion polls, result date

Bangladesh is all set to vote on February 12 in its first election since a student uprising ended the rule of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh's national assembly comprises 350 legislators, of whom 300 are directly elected from single-member constituencies, and an additional 50 seats are reserved for women. 

The transition and election are overseen by an interim administration led by Chief Adviser and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. 

Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5, 2024, after a massive student-led uprising. The protests, which started as an agitation against the public sector quotas, grew into a nationwide movement against Hasina's administration. Since her departure, she has stayed in India and was sentenced to death in absentia by a Bangladeshi special tribunal for crimes against humanity. 

Bangladesh polls 2026 on Feb 12: Here's what we know 

Key parties

1. Bangladesh Nationalist Party:  The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is seen as a frontrunner and heads a 10-party coalition. Rahman returned to Bangladesh after nearly 17 years in exile in London. 

Founded in 1978 by his father and 1971 war veteran Ziaur Rahman, the BNP says it is rooted in Bangladeshi nationalism, an ideology that recognises the rights of all citizens regardless of ethnicity, gender or race. The 60-year-old leader left the country in 2008 amid persecution. Since Sheikh Hasina’s departure, the BNP has re-emerged as a key political force.

2. Jamaat-e-Islami: Jamaat, leading an 11-party alliance including the NCP under Shafiqur Rahman, was banned in 1971 for opposing Bangladesh’s independence but reinstated by the BNP in 1979. Barred again under Hasina, it regained registration in June 2025 and will contest the upcoming polls independently, against the BNP. 

3. National Citizen Party: The National Citizen Party (NCP), a new political party born out of the 2024 student movement, is also seen as a key competitor. The NCP was the force behind Muhammad Yunus taking charge as the chief advisor of Bangladesh's interim government. 

4. The Awami League, led by Hasina, has been banned from participating in the national assembly elections.

What do opinion polls say? 

• Eminence Associates for Social Development (EASD): Clear advantage for BNP. EASD CEO Shamim Haider Talukder said that the BNP-led alliance could win around 208 seats, whereas the Jamaat may bag 46 seats. It also projected 17 seats, three for the Jatiya Party, and 4 for others. The EASD also mentioned that it could be a tight contest in 22 constituencies. 
• International Institute of Law and Diplomacy (IILD): This one predicted a tight race, with 105 seats for the Jamaat-led alliance and 101 seats for the BNP-led bloc. As per this survey, BNP is leading in vote share at 44.10 per cent and is followed closely by Jamaat at 43.90 per cent. 
• Nationalist Research Cell (NRC): The platform of former Dhaka University students predicted an overwhelming sweep for the BNP. As per this survey, the BNP is likely to bag around 77 per cent of the popular vote and 220 parliamentary seats. It forecast 57 seats for Jamaat, 5 for Jatiya Parthy and 16 for independents and others.