India, Feb. 8 -- Bangladesh is just a week away from its most critical elections, the first since the August 2024 student uprising and the dramatic fall of Sheikh Hasina's government. The country is preparing to vote for its 300-seat assembly to select its next government and leader.

The vote count is also scheduled for Thursday, February 12, the same day as polling.

Ahead of the general elections, Bangladesh's political landscape changed further when former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia died on December 30, 2025. Her death prompted the return of her son, Tarique Rahman, who came to Dhaka after 18 years of self-imposed exile in London.

BNP is in the fray in the 2026 elections along with other k...