BNP chief Tarique Rahman to be sworn in as Bangladesh PM today

Guwahati: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Tarique Rahman will be sworn in as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday, along with newly elected Members of Parliament, marking a significant political transition following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in 2024.

Rahman, the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, steered the BNP to a decisive victory in the February 12 general elections after returning from a 17-year exile. According to the Bangladesh Election Commission, the BNP secured more than 151 seats in the 300-member Jatiya Sangsad, while the BNP-led alliance won a total of 212 seats. Jamaat-e-Islami, which contested independently after previously aligning with the BNP, emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats. The Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, was barred from contesting the elections.

Elected BNP MP Rashiduzzaman Millat informed that the oath-taking ceremony for MPs would be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Parliament Bhawan, followed by the ministerial swearing-in at 4 p.m. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Pakistan will not be attending,” he said on Monday.

India will be represented at the ceremony by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. In a statement, the MEA noted that Birla’s participation underscored the “deep and enduring friendship” between India and Bangladesh and reaffirmed India’s commitment to shared democratic values.

Meanwhile, questions have surfaced over whether elected MPs may be required to take a second oath as members of a proposed constitutional reform council.

According to sources, the party favours adherence to the existing constitutional framework, 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 backing and raised concerns about the legal basis of the July National Charter Implementation Order.