New Delhi, Feb. 14 -- As the first reports came in of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) comfortable victory in the general election on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the outreach to Dhaka for rebuilding bilateral ties by telling BNP chief Tarique Rahman that India stands ready to strengthen relations and to work for regional peace and progress. The Indian side now faces the task of resetting bilateral relations, which plummeted to their lowest point in more than a decade under the caretaker administration led by Muhammad Yunus, by working with the BNP, whose past stints in power were characterised by uneasy ties with New Delhi. Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Rahman as unofficial results showed the BNP was in the lead in the election, the first since former premier Sheikh Hasina's government was toppled by student-led protests in August 2024; the PM followed it up with a phone call to Rahman, who is set to be Bangladesh's next prime minister. "Delighted to speak with Mr Tarique Rahman. I congratulated him on the remarkable victory in the Bangladesh elections," Modi said on social media. "As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India's continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples." Modi said he had also conveyed his support for Rahman's "endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh". In an earlier post congratulating Rahman, Modi said the BNP's "decisive victory" reflected the Bangladeshi people's trust in the BNP chief's leadership. "India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh," he said. "I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals." Indian and Bangladeshi officials often described former premier Hasina's 15-year tenure as a "golden chapter" in bilateral relations, and this proximity to the Awami League regime led to accusations from other political forces in Dhaka that New Delhi had put all its eggs in one basket. However, the two sides were able to implement an extensive agenda for forging economic, energy and physical connectivity, and the Awami League government played a key role in addressing India's security concerns related to the strategic northeastern states. People familiar with the matter said the Indian side's focus will now be on rebuilding bilateral relations and consolidating the engagement with political stakeholders in Bangladesh that has been underway for close to 18 months....