B’desh to hold polls on Feb 12 for 1st time after Hasina’s exit

Bangladesh will hold the general elections on February 12, its first since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in a violent student-led protest in August 2024, the Press Trust of India reported.

- Agencies

“Voting will take place on February 12, 2026, from 7:30am to 4:30pm,” chief election commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said in an address to the nation on Thursday. A referendum will simultaneously be held on the voting day, February 12, to elicit public opinion on a series of reform proposals of the chief adviser Muhammad Yunus-led ‘National Consensus Commission.

‘The announcement came a day after the CEC met President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who assured him “optimum support and cooperation” to conduct the general elections in a “free, fair and meaningful” manner. “Bangladesh’s democratic journey has crossed an important milestone, strengthening the new path the nation has taken after the historic mass uprising,” Yunus said.