Bangladesh polls: PM Modi dials Sheikh Hasina, extends congratulations for historic 4th consecutive term

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Monday to congratulate her for securing a historic fourth consecutive term with an overwhelming majority in the Parliamentary elections. “Spoke to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and congratulated her on her victory for a historic fourth consecutive term in the Parliamentary elections. I also congratulate the people of Bangladesh for the successful conduct of elections. We are committed to further strengthen our enduring and people-centric partnership with Bangladesh,” PM Modi said in a statement on social media platform X. The general elections in Bangladesh were marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition outfit Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies. Sheikh Hasina’s party - the Awami League - won 223 seats in the 300-seat Parliament. There were 299 seats up for grabs in the election. According to reports, the death of a candidate has resulted in a postponed election for one seat. The Jatiya Party, which is the biggest opposition in Parliament, gained 11 seats; the Bangladesh Kallyan party won one seat; and 62 seats went to independent candidates. Each party got one seat: the Workers Party of Bangladesh and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal. In a landslide victory, Hasina, 76, who is also the president of the Awami League, won the Gopalganj-3 constituency, marking her ninth term in parliament. With the second-lowest turnout since democracy was restored in 1991, Hasina, who has ruled the strategically positioned South Asian nation since 2009, won a record-breaking fourth straight term and fifth term overall in the lopsided election. In the contentious elections held in February 1996, the lowest voter turnout in Bangladeshi history was 26.5%. The Election Commission anticipated that the final tally might stand at about 40% when voting closed at 4:00 pm on Sunday. This is a 13% increase in turnout in just one hour. As of 3:00 pm, the turnout in the election was 27.15%. Hasina will likely become Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime leader since the country’s independence with this victory. (With agency inputs)