DHAKA: The BNP on Friday thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for recognising the verdict of Bangladesh's general elections and hoped that the relations between the two countries will be strengthened under the new government.
Speaking to PTI videos, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP) standing committee member and chief coordinator for the 2026 election Nazrul Islam Khan said the party appreciated Modi's recognition of the people's verdict.
"We thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for congratulating our leader, Tarique Rahman. It is great that a democratic country is supposed to recognise the verdict of the people, and Mr Narendra Modi has done this. We thank him," he said.
"We, also on behalf of our party, thank him, and we believe that under the leadership of our leader, Mr Tarique Rahman, the relation between these two countries and the people of these two countries will be strengthened," he added.
Earlier in the day, Modi extended warm congratulations to Rahman on leading the BNP to a decisive victory in Bangladesh's parliamentary elections. In a post on X, the Indian Prime Minister said the result reflected the trust of the Bangladeshi people in Rahman's leadership.
"India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals," PM Modi wrote.
The exchange comes as the BNP secured a commanding two-thirds majority in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad in the February 12 election.
This is the first parliamentary election since the 2024 student-led uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
While Bangladesh's Election Commission (EC) is yet to make a formal announcement, unofficial counts and projections from local media showed the BNP and its allies winning over 210 seats, with Jamaat-e-Islami emerging as the main opposition.
This marks a major political comeback for the BNP after years in opposition and follows Rahman's return to Dhaka from self-exile in London.
The 60-year-old son of late president Ziaur Rahman and former prime minister Khaleda Zia contested and won from two constituencies.