Bangladesh election announcement reshapes North-east aspirations

As Bangladesh is reportedly heading for the next general election by mid-February 2026, the residents of north-east India have started keenly observing the post-poll developments in Dhaka and also the probable outcome benefiting the bordering region which precisely Assam had otherwise suffered a lot since the birth of Bangladesh (out of Pakistan) in 1971.

- NAVA THAKURIA

As Bangladesh is reportedly heading for the next general election by mid-February 2026, the residents of north-east India have started keenly observing the post-poll developments in Dhaka and also the probable outcome benefiting the bordering region which precisely Assam had otherwise suffered a lot since the birth of Bangladesh (out of Pakistan) in 1971. Lately, a kind of socio-political war has been launched in Assam, where illegal settlers, that is, Bangladesh-origin Muslims, have been evicted from the government lands including wetland and forest areas. Thousands of families belonging to suspected backgrounds are being uprooted from their habitations, raising a series of agitations mostly by the minority-inclined organizations and political parties.

Meanwhile, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in Dispur continues pushing back illegal Bangladeshi nationals through the international border even after repeated opposition from Dhaka.

Addressing the nation on live television, Bangladesh's caretaker government head Dr Muhammad Yunus on 5 August announced that the south Asian nation will go for national polls before Ramadan (tentatively begins on 17 February next). Marking the anniversary of the 2024 July-August mass uprising (that paved the way for installing Dr Yunus as chief adviser of the caretaker government), the lone Bangladeshi Nobel laureate hinted that the 13th Jatiya Sansad polls will be conducted in the first half of February 2026.

Dr Yunus, who had already earned a global fame for micro-finance and social business initiatives, disclosed that since he took over responsibility on 8 August last year, his primary agenda was to facilitate a free, fair and comprehensive election with a higher turnout of voters.