Dhaka, June 14 -- In a rare display of political detente, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and BNP's Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman came face-to-face in London for a long-anticipated meeting that may have just shifted the trajectory of Bangladesh's electoral future.

Held behind closed doors but described as disarmingly open in tone, the talks saw both sides step back from their rigid positions and reach common ground regarding the election timeline.

The fiery rhetoric from BNP leaders demanding an electoral roadmap now seems to be a thing of the past. In the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, the two leaders managed to pull the nation's political climate back from the brink.

They agreed that if all preparations can be completed, an election may...