Will Bangladesh go for National Elections by December 2025?

There are indications surfacing from Dhaka that Bangladesh may go for national elections by this year itself if the concerned political parties agree to accept a minimal reform in various administrative, financial and electoral agencies with assurances that the winning representatives in Jatiya Sansad  (National Assembly/Parliament) will continue pursuing the reform process in the south Asian country. Professor Muhammad Yunus who took the leadership of an interim government in Dhaka soon after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led mass movement in July-August 2024 continues asserting that Bangladesh needs a major reform in various sectors including civil & police administration, anti-corruption departments, financial institutions, judicial and electoral system to bring the Muslim majority nation on the right tracks. The  caretaker government head has already directed the responsible authorities to prepare for the general elections by December 2025.
 
Lately, over 20 political parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami, newly-formed National Citizen Party (NCP) etc submitted their opinions to the National Consensus Commission, which is planning to talk to other political parties in the coming days. Headed by Prof Yunus himself, the commission sent some recommendations to nearly 35 political parties asking their opinions. The recommendations were picked up from five reform commissions namely the constitution reform commission, public administration reform commission, electoral system reform commission, judiciary reform commission and administrative reforms commission. Till now, Awami League is not in the scene and it’s difficult to guess is the Hasina’s party will be allowed to participate in the polls.

But Prof Yunus recently made a public comment that the interim government has no plan to ban the party, which ruled Bangladesh for the last three consecutive terms (2009 to 2024). He however asserted that all individuals within the Awami League (including Hasina), who are accused of mass crimes, will have to face trials.  Many political party leaders and influential individuals involved with the monsoon (July-Aug 24) revolution criticized  Prof Yunus for his soft approach to Awami League. Some even alleged that Bangladesh army chief Waker Uz Zaman was pursuing for the party, so that they can participate in the elections. They also termed it a conspiracy to rehabilitate the Hasina’s party as ‘Refined Awami League’ and ultimately bring the deposed premier back from India. However, the Bangladesh armed forces rejected all allegations and made it clear that they had no interest in installing any political party. NCP convener  Nahid Islam demanded to ban the Awami League and asserted that no attempt to rehabilitate the ‘fascist party’ will be accepted. Terming the Hasina’s party as a terrorist outfit, the young leader commented that Awami League can no longer be regarded as a political party.

Currently, the Nobel laureate is looking  forward to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a one-to-one discussion during an important summit in Bangkok. His administration in Dhaka had already made a formal request to the Union government in New Delhi for a bilateral meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit,  scheduled for 2-4 April in the Thai capital city. India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar stated that the particular proposal was under consideration but political observers believe that it is highly unlikely. There may be many reasons, but some recent developments may deter PM Modi from having a meeting with Prof Yunus.
 
First, the octogenarian  banker turned interim government’s chief adviser is busy bringing Dhaka closer to Islamabad, even though Pakistan itself is facing severe internal problems with the Baloch freedom aspiring nationals. Prof Yunus met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in New York during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024. It was followed by regular cargo shipping and direct flights to facilitate the people to contact between Bangladesh and Pakistan (incidentally both were  under the same territory as Islamic Republic of Pakistan after separating from Hindustan/India  in 1947). Days back, a delegation of  Pakistani traders  visited Dhaka with an aim to establish a joint council and a team of  Bangladeshi military officials paid a trip to Pakistan, followed by a Pak-military delegation visiting Bangladesh.
 
The unholy alliance between Dhaka and Islamabad may pose more  challenges to New Delhi.  While Pakistan remains an enemy nation since its birth, another neighbour also started behaving like a foe to India. More precisely, Prof Yunus is embarking on a  China visit just ahead of the BIMSTEC summit and he is supposed to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 28 March. It may complicate the bilateral relation in more than one way, as New Delhi has been relentlessly fighting Beijing's growing influences in both the eastern neighbours  namely Bangladesh and Myanmar (also known as Burma or Brahmadesh).
   
Meanwhile, a strong message from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an ideologue of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, over the atrocities on religious minorities in Bangladesh with impunity from the government agencies, may prevent any such talks with Prof Yunus immediately. The RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha 2025 (ABPS) on 22 March expressed its serious concern on the unabated and planned violence, injustice and oppression faced by the Hindu and other minority communities at the hands of radical Islamist elements in the neighboring country. Terming it a fit case of human rights violation, the ABPS observed that during the recent regime change in Dhaka, several incidents of attacks on maths, temples, Durga puja-pandals and educational institutions, desecration of deities, barbaric killings, looting of properties, abduction and molestation of women and forcible conversions were reported.
 
RSS Sah Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar, while  briefing the media in the midst of three-day  (21-23 March 2025) ABPS held in Bengaluru, highlighted the continuous decline of the Hindu population in Bangladesh (from 22% in 1951 to just 7.95% today) asserting that  it only reflects the severity of the perennial crisis. The level of organized violence and the government’s passive response in the last few months was alarming, but the  administration continues denying the religious angle of these incidents.

The RSS’s annual meeting also raised concerns over  the rising anti-Bharat rhetoric in Bangladesh, which threatens to strain the historically deep-rooted ties between the two nations. Bharat and its neighboring countries share a common cultural and historical heritage, and any form of communal discord in one part of the region affects the entire subcontinent, Kumar commented. He also added that despite facing severe persecution, the Hindus in Bangladesh had shown remarkable resilience in their struggle for justice and religious freedom.

Their peaceful, collective, and democratic resistance has been met with strong moral and psychological support from Hindus in Bharat and across the world. New Delhi has reiterated its commitment to standing with Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh and engaged in diplomatic efforts with Dhaka. Finally the Sangh called upon international organizations such as the United Nations and the global community to take serious note of these inhumane acts and pressurize Dhaka to take concrete steps to halt violence against Hindus and other minorities. It asserted to remain  resolute in the commitment to protect the rights, dignity, and religious freedom of Hindus in Bangladesh and urged an immediate intervention to address this grave humanitarian and existential crisis.