New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- Bangladesh votes on 12 February 2026 in an election that is meant to end an extraordinary interregnum after the 2024 uprising and the Yunus-led caretaker government. The contest is also a referendum on what replaces Hasina era order. With the Awami League barred, politics has reorganized into a BNP led bid to reclaim the mainstream and a Jamaat-e-Islami anchored bloc that presents itself as disciplined, incorruptible, and closer to the street mood of change.

Those interests point in one direction. India should stop treating the BNP as a permanent adversary and start treating it as the most plausible governing party in this cycle. Polling snapshots, campaign dynamics, and the organizational revival of BNP under Tariqu...