BNP chief Tarique Rahman to take oath today as Bangladesh PM after landslide victory

NEW DELHI: Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman will take oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday, alongside newly elected Members of Parliament following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in 2024.

Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, led the BNP to a landslide victory in the February 12 general elections after returning from a 17-year exile. The party secured more than 151 seats in the 300-member parliament, while the BNP-led alliance won 212 seats, according to the Bangladesh Election Commission. Jamaat-e-Islami, which contested separately after previously being allied with the BNP, emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats. The Awami League, led by Hasina, was barred from contesting the polls.


Elected BNP MP Rashiduzzaman Millat told ANI, "The oath-taking ceremony for the parliament members will be held at 9:30 am at our parliament bhawan. At 4.00 pm, there will be another session for the ministerial oath. PM Modi and the Prime Minister of Pakistan will not be coming," the elected BNP MP told ANI on Monday.

India will be represented at the ceremony by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the ministry of external affairs said. "The 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 the two nations," the MEA statement read.

Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over whether elected MPs will be required to take a second oath as members of a proposed constitutional reform council, as reported by Prothom Alo. Questions have been raised about whether such a council will be formed immediately to implement proposals under the July National Charter.

Sources within the BNP told Prothom Alo that the party favours adherence to the existing constitution, which provides only for the swearing-in of MPs and does not mention any constitutional reform council. They argued that any additional oath would require constitutional incorporation and questioned the legal basis of the July National Charter Implementation Order from the outset.