DHAKA: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla arrived in Bangladesh on Tuesday to represent the Indian government at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected government in Dhaka.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), under the leadership of its chairman, Tarique Rahman, registered a landslide victory in the Bangladesh parliamentary elections.
The BNP Parliamentary Party on Tuesday elected Tarique Rahman as its Leader, setting him up to become the Leader of the House and take the oath as the Prime Minister of the country later in the day. As the party with the majority of seats, the BNP established the Parliamentary Party and conducted its inaugural meeting, chaired by Tarique Rahman, after its 208 MPs took their oaths at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban earlier in the day.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, along with several other foreign dignitaries, including Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
Nepal will be represented by its Foreign Minister Bala Nanda Sharma, while Sri Lanka’s Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa is also slated to participate in the event.
The United Kingdom’s Indo-Pacific Under-Secretary, Seema Malhotra, is expected to attend as well. There is also a possibility that Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu may participate in the ceremony.
On Sunday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla would attend the oath-taking ceremony of the Tarique Rahman-led government in Bangladesh.
In an official statement, the MEA said, “The Hon’ble Speaker’s participation at this important event underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India’s steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind our two nations.”
It further stated, “As neighbours united by a shared history, culture, and mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh’s transition to an elected government under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people.”
The 13th parliamentary election was conducted on February 12, and the Election Commission published the official gazette notification of the victorious candidates on the night of February 13.
Polling was held for 299 of the 300 seats in the 13th parliamentary election. The Election Commission declared unofficial results for 297 constituencies. However, the gazette notifications for Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4 have not yet been issued following a directive from the High Court.
According to the results announced so far, the BNP won 209 out of 297 seats, with its candidates leading in the two constituencies, including Chattogram-2 and 4, where results have been withheld. Their allies have claimed three seats.
On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami has won 68 seats, while the partners in the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance secured nine seats. Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) claimed one seat, and independent candidates won in seven constituencies, Prothom Alo reported.
With Tarique Rahman now set to lead Bangladesh — the country last saw a male PM almost 35 years ago — experts warn that the nation faces a massive challenge of overcoming the unrest and rising Islamist extremism that marked the 18-month tenure of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
