Bangladesh Elections: BNP Rejects Yunus' April 2026 Poll Dates, Sparks New Political Firestorm
Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has announced that national elections will be held during the first half of April 2026, backing away from his earlier commitment to hold polls by June 2026. The announcement, made during his Eid-ul-Azha speech, triggered fierce backlash from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). BNP, led by acting chairman Tarique Rahman, convened a special standing committee meeting, calling Yunus' remarks politically charged, outside his interim mandate, and deeply problematic due to the proposed timeline's overlap with Ramadan, school exams, and harsh summer conditions. BNP rejected the April plan, demanding polls by December 2025, and vowed to launch a nationwide protest campaign to 'restore the people's right to vote'—especially in light of the 2024 uprising sacrifices.#bangladeshelection #muhammadyunus #bnp #tariquerahman #april2026polls #ramadanvote #eidaddress #interimgovt #bangladeshpolitics #electiondelay #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
West Bengal clashes: Cops injured, vehicles set on fire, security heightened- what triggered the outrage?
NEW DELHI: Security has been heightened in Maheshtala after the area witnessed violent clashes between a mob and the West Bengal Police on Wednesday. Five police personnel, including DC (Port) Harikrishna Pai, sustained injuries, while two government vehicles were damaged and a motorcycle was torched as officers attempted to quell clashes in the Rabindranagar-Akra area. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now To control the situation, police carried out a lathicharge and used tear gas. Violence broke out near Rabindranagar Police Station when a crowd began to gather and suddenly turned violent, attacking the outnumbered police with stones. Reinforcements arrived, and police used lathicharge and tear gas to disperse the mob. However, the crowd regrouped near Santoshpur and clashed with Kolkata Police, injuring officers, including DC (Port) Rai. Riot police, led by senior officers, chased and dispersed the mob, eventually restoring order. Security forces conducted patrols in the area, and top police officials oversaw the operation. Four people were arrested, and the injured officers are reported to be in stable condition. What led to the clashes? The clashes erupted due to a dispute over land ownership. Locals say tensions began when a 'tulsi mancha' was hastily built at a spot where a minority community member had a shop. The trader was away for Eid, and the other group claimed the shop was illegally built on temple land. Before authorities could intervene, protests from both sides escalated into violence, roadblocks, and attacks on police. Leader of opposition in state and leader Suvendu Adhikari, however, claimed that the victims were Hindus and demanded deployment of central forces in the violence-hit area. "Several police personnel were injured in the violence, and many police vehicles were torched. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now We demand immediate deployment of central forces in the area to save and protect people," he said. "I have approached the SP of Diamond Harbour Police District and DGP @WBPolice so that today, I along with one MLA can visit Maheshtala under Rabindranagar Police Station to meet and express solidarity with the victims of the Hindu families and the affected Hindu shopkeepers who came under the attack of the Jihadis yesterday. This visit is a step towards understanding their grievances and ensuring their voices are heard. I hope that the Administration doest obstruct my visit," he further said in a post on X. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, however, dismissed the clashes being related to "overall law and order situation" "The incident in Maheshtala is not related to the overall law and order situation. However, the incident is unfortunate and highly condemnable. The police acted very responsibly and did not take any step to aggravate the situation," he said. The state police is yet to issue any statement.
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First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Yunus's election promise is 'making April Fool of Bangladeshi people': Hasina
Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina issued yet another provocative statment, accusing interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus of 'fooling the country' with the promise of holding elections by 2026 read more Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina slammed the country's interim Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, dismissing his pledge to hold elections by April 2026 . In her audio message to her supporters, Hasina reiterated that Yunus is 'selling the country and making money out of it'. Yunus took the task of rebuilding Bangladesh after a violent protest toppled the Sheikh Hasina government. However, several parties in Bangladesh have called out the Nobel laureate for not conducting the elections by 2025. While Yunus argued that he needs to usher in reforms before holding polls, his critics claim that he is trying to delay elections to stay in power. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In her address to her party, Awami League, Hasina said that Yunus is plotting to fool the country on April Fool's Day. The remarks from the former Bangladeshi premier came days after Yunus announced that he plans to hold elections by April 2026. 'I did not sell the country. Yunus is selling the country and making money. This government is backed by Jamaat [Jamaat-e-Islami]. They don't have the guts to fight me,' Hasina said in her audio message, which was shared by her party, Awami League. 'They have said the election will take place in April. This is nothing but the plot of making an April Fool's joke,' she explained. In her 1-hour-long audio message, Hasina frequently referred to Yunus as 'radical and extremists'. She even slammed ex-PM Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), accusing them of looting the country. 'I will be back': Hasina In her statement to her party and supporters, Hasina pointed out the atrocities committed against the people of Bangladesh under Yunus's regime. 'Yunus is committing murders and members of the Awami League are getting prosecuted,' she exclaimed, commenting on how every member of her family is facing legal charges in the country. 'BNP is busy looting the people and Jamaat is busy killing and getting its people inside the government,' she remarked. In her message to the supporters, Hasina pledged to return to the country and shared her vision of a 'Smart Bangladesh by 2041'. 'I will come back, the country will stand again, and we will free our nation from these radicals for the good of the people,' she said. Hasina slammed the Yunus government for banning her party Awami League , from contesting in the polls. She even gave an open challenge to the current regime to put the party on the ballot. 'If they want to hold polls, allow us to contest. Let's see who the people of Bangladesh want. But they won't do that because they don't have the guts to fight against us,' she added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India dismisses Yunus's request to stop Hasina from making statements Interestingly, Hasina's address to her supporters came shortly after Yunus claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignored his request to stop the ex-Bangladeshi premier from making political statements while in India. Yunus was sharing his takeaways from a meeting with PM Modi while speaking at the Chatham House in London. He pledged to continue with his efforts to extradite Hasina from India so that she can face looming charges against her in Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, which recently indicted her for ordering a police crackdown on protestors last year. 'When I had a chance to speak with Prime Minister Modi, I simply said, 'You want to host her — I cannot force you to abandon that policy. But please help us ensure that she does not address the Bangladeshi people the way she currently is,'' Yunus said while addressing the audience at the London-based think tank. Yunus mentioned that he requested his meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok this April. 'She announces that she will speak on a particular day and at a particular time, and the whole of Bangladesh becomes very angry." STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Modi's answer — and I quote — was: 'It is social media; we cannot control it.' What can you say? This is an explosive situation, and you can't simply walk away by saying it's social media. Yet this continues,' Yunus furthered. India is yet to respond to Yunus's accusations.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Muhammad Yunus rules out role in next Bangladesh govt, recalls seeking PM Modi's help to curb Hasina's remarks
Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday, June 11, ruled out his role in the next Bangladesh government after 2026 elections, the first since a mass uprising overthrew the government. Speaking in London, Muhammad Yunus, asked if he himself was seeking any political post, the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner said there was 'no way', waving his hands in the air for emphasis. 'No way, no way. I think no one of our cabinet members (Council of Advisers) would like to do that,' he said, adding, 'Our job is to make sure that the transition is managed well, and that people are happy when we hand over power to the elected government.' 'So we want to make sure that the election is right, that is a very critical factor for us. If the election is wrong, this thing will never be solved again.' Muhammad Yunus also recalled the time when he sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's help in stopping former PM Sheikh Hasina from making political statements. Ousted on August 5 last year after a massive student-led agitation, Sheikh Hasina faces multiple cases in Bangladesh. She fled Bangladesh and landed in India after the massive uprising that saw hundreds storming her official residence. Since Muhammad Yunus took over, the interim government has been trying to extradite Sheikh Hasina from India. 'This will continue, another stage has come, now there is a case. The International Crimes Tribunal has started the trial process; they sent notices to Hasina for all the crimes she has committed. So, they have to respond to the notices,' he said. 'This is a legal notice, so we have to go to the Interpol and all the other things that happen through that. This is the process that we are following; we want it to be very legal, very proper.' Muhammad Yunus said he sought PM Modi's help when the two held a bilateral meeting at Bimstec Summit in Bangkok in April 2025. He said, 'When I had a chance to talk to Prime Minister Modi, I simply said you want to host her, I cannot force you to abandon that policy. But please help us in making sure she doesn't speak to Bangladeshi people the way she is doing.' 'She announces on such and such day and at such and such hour she will speak, and the whole of Bangladesh gets very angry,' he added.
