Bangladesh Election 2026 Live Updates: Millions Vote In Historic Post-Hasina Polls, BNP And Jamaat-E-Islami Favourites

Bangladesh General Election 2026 Voting Live Updates: Bangladesh goes to the polls on Thursday for its 13th parliamentary elections, marking a turning point in the country’s political journey. The vote comes 18 months after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule collapsed following massive student-led protests in July 2024, leading to the formation of an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. In an unprecedented move, Hasina’s Awami League has been disbanded and barred from contesting, making this the first national election in decades without its participation.

The contest is now primarily between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, which is leading an 11-party coalition. Opinion polls suggest BNP as the frontrunner, with its leader Tarique Rahman seeking a political comeback after years in exile. Nearly 127 million voters are eligible to cast ballots across 299 constituencies, while a parallel referendum on an 84-point reform charter will also be held.

Security is tight, with almost one million personnel deployed and more than half of polling centres marked as risk-prone. For the first time, expatriate Bangladeshis are voting through an IT-based postal ballot system. Authorities say drones, body cameras and CCTV networks will monitor voting. Amid hopes of change and concerns over stability, the election is being closely watched as a defining moment for Bangladesh’s democratic future.