New Delhi, Feb. 11 -- Bangladesh votes on Thursday to elect a new national government, seen as the country's most consequential election in recent history.

The vote on February 12 follows youth-led protests 18 months ago that overthrew the government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and ushered Bangladesh into an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The vote, alongside a constitutional referendum on political reforms, will end the transition period and test the South Asian nation's democracy. The main contest is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman and a newly formed 11-party alliance, officially known as the 'Like-minded 11 Parties.' The alliance is led by the Bangladesh Jam...