The vote counting in Bangladesh’s big election is heating up like crazy. This is the country’s first proper parliamentary poll since that wild 2024 student uprising booted out Sheikh Hasina for good. No Awami League this time – they’re out of the picture after everything that went down. So it’s basically Tarique Rahman’s BNP going head-to-head with the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party coalition, which pulled in some of those young uprising folks like the National Citizen Party. Oh, and there’s a referendum on the July Charter too – those big constitutional tweaks to stop any future strongman rule.
Nearly 127 million registered voters (127,711,793 to be exact) got their say across 299 seats in the 300-seat Jatiya Sangsad (plus reserved women’s seats). Polls opened at 7:30 AM and wrapped at 4:30 PM local, and turnout was pretty decent – hit 47.91% by 2 PM according to the Election Commission (earlier snapshot was 32.88% by noon). People were calling the day festive, like “Eid vibes” – especially folks who hadn’t voted in over a decade or more because of all the political mess.
Counting kicked off immediately, and man, the early unofficial trends from local channels, party claims, and papers are leaning hard toward BNP. Here’s the rundown from the latest chatter (keep in mind, these are partial and unofficial – full EC results should firm up by Friday morning):
BNP is surging ahead: Leads or wins in 50 to 60+ seats popping up everywhere (some reports say 50, others pushing 60, even 78 in wilder claims). They’re dominating in places like Bogura (sweeping all seven there), Dhaka zones, Chittagong, Sylhet leans.
Jamaat-e-Islami alliance drag: Around 18 seats in leads/wins (some say 12-18, with a few declared early).
Tarique Rahman himself? Absolute beast mode – he’s won both his seats big time. Dhaka-17 is his (unofficial tallies like 60,215 votes vs. rivals’ much lower), and Bogura-6 too (commanding leads, e.g., over double in partial counts from dozens of centers – one spot had him at 37k+ vs. 17k).
Other cool BNP moments: Landslide for their guy in Kishoreganj-4 (Fazlur Rahman crushed it), strong in Cox’s Bazar-1 (28k+ votes vs. 12k for Jamaat rival), and rolling through Netrokona and other districts.
Majority needs 151 out of 300 seats. If this keeps rolling, BNP looks set for a solid, maybe even comfy win – putting Tarique Rahman right in the driver’s seat for prime minister.
Interim boss Muhammad Yunus put out a call for everyone to stay chill and keep that “democratic decorum” – no big violence so far, though some finger-pointing on intimidation. Hasina (still exiled) trashed it as a farce, but on the streets, the energy feels hopeful for a real fresh start.
Referendum on the July Charter? Early unofficial bits from Dhaka areas show strong “Yes” support (like 69k yes vs. 20k no in one batch of centers) – folks seem keen on those reforms.
A couple glitches (EC site dipped for a bit), but counting’s chugging along at over 36,000 centers. This isn’t just about who wins seats – it’s Bangladesh trying to turn the page after years of hurt and hope for something better.
Fingers crossed it all stays peaceful. Morning’s gonna tell us a lot more – what a ride!
Sources:
Al Jazeera (live blog on counting and context)
Hindustan Times, Times of India, Indian Express (live updates with seat leads, Tarique wins, turnout)
Dhaka Tribune, Prothom Alo (local details on specific constituencies and tallies)
Reuters, NDTV, Mint (early trends and party claims)
Election Commission figures via reports (voter numbers, turnout)
