Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is leading with a majority of seats after millions of Bangladeshis cast their ballots in Thursday’s general election, the first since the 2024 ouster of Sheikh Hasina, according to local media.
The Election Commission has not yet confirmed the results but the BNP was leading with 151 constituencies amid counting of ballots, according to the Dhaka Tribune.
Alliances led by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are the two main contenders, as Hasina's Awami League was barred from the vote.
The counting of ballots in 299 constituencies began soon after polls closed.
Jamaat's chief Shafiqur Rahman earlier said that election officials in some constituencies were "holding results, despite counts being completed, and that Jamaat won those seats."
"Based on the vote count received so far and detailed seat-wise information, we are very hopeful about this victory," said BNP official Mahdi Amin.
Tarique Rahman, 60, who is heading BNP and whose late parents both led the country told AFP news agency ahead of the vote that his first priority, if elected, would be restoring security and stability.
But he warned the challenges ahead were immense, and that "the economy has been destroyed".
A clearer picture of the results is expected to take several more hours.
Voting took place between 7.30 am local time (0130GMT) and 4.30 pm (1030GMT).
More than 127.6 million people were eligible to vote in the election, which also included a referendum on constitutional reforms.
Yunus hails election
Voter turnout was expected to hit 60 percent, higher than the January 2024 elections, which were won by Hasina's Awami League but boycotted by the BNP-Jamaat opposition.
Election authorities also received 1.14 million postal ballots, including 495,551 votes cast by expats.
A total of 51 political parties and 2,034 candidates ran for parliamentary seats, including 275 independents.
While 300 lawmakers are directly elected, 50 seats are reserved for women.
Voting was postponed on one seat as a candidate died shortly before the election.
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, meanwhile, appreciated political parties for their "responsible conduct" following a largely peaceful election.
"The spontaneous participation of voters, the responsible conduct of political parties, the restraint shown by candidates and the professionalism of all institutions involved in the electoral process demonstrated that our commitment to democracy remains unwavering," Yunus said in a statement.
"I call upon political parties and candidates to uphold democratic decency, tolerance and mutual respect even after the final results are announced. Differences of opinion will exist, but we must remain united in national interest," he added.
The BNP-led alliance and a Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance were the two main contenders after the Awami League party of ousted Prime Minister Hasina was barred from the polls.
It is the first time Jamaat has participated in elections with its symbol since being barred by Hasina's regime in 2013.
Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, and Yunus formed an interim government to oversee governance in the South Asian country.
Dhaka has demanded that New Delhi hand over Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal in November 2025 for her role in a deadly crackdown on protests.
India has not complied amid strained bilateral ties.
