Student movement’s fury fizzles at Bangladesh polls
While the NCP played a key role in leading street movements that toppled the previous government, its performance at the ballot box has been underwhelming.
KATHMANDU: Preliminary results of Bangladesh’s recent general election have delivered a major setback to the student-backed National Citizens Party (NCP), a political force born out of nationwide protests.
While the NCP played a key role in leading street movements that toppled the previous government, its performance at the ballot box has been underwhelming.
According to The Daily Star, with vote counting ongoing for the 300-member parliament, the NCP has managed to secure only six seats.
Ahead of the polls, influential NCP leader Nahid Islam had claimed that their coalition could form the government.
However, Islam himself has been struggling to maintain an early lead in Dhaka-11, reflecting the party’s overall weak electoral showing.
In contrast, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has achieved a historic political comeback.
Latest trends show the BNP-led alliance securing a clear majority and moving toward a two-thirds majority, far surpassing the 151 seats required to control parliament.
With this victory, Tarique Rahman, Khaleda Zia’s eldest son, is poised to become Prime Minister after 17 years in political exile.
Rahman, who had been living in the United Kingdom since 2008 following his detention in 2007, returned to Bangladesh only last December.
The elections follow a turbulent political period. In July 2024, a massive student-led movement forced then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.
The violent protests, which claimed nearly 1,400 lives, also led to the formation of an interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Despite its roots in this dramatic uprising, the NCP failed to translate protest influence into significant electoral gains.
Meanwhile, the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami Party is projected to win around 60 seats, positioning it as a potential key opposition force in the new parliament, according to Dhaka Tribune.
The election marks a dramatic reshaping of Bangladesh’s political landscape, signaling the return of the BNP to power while raising questions about the future influence of protest-born movements.
