Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party has won its fourth consecutive term in the general election. This is Sheikh Hasina's fifth term as Prime Minister.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, boycotted the elections. Zia was arrested for 'anti-national' activities just before the elections after demanding Hasina resign to make way for a neutral transitional government.
The low turnout in elections is also controversial. The official figure is 40 percent, but reports suggest this could be less than 28 percent. The turnout on the dashboard of the election organization's headquarters, hours after the press conference, was 28 percent, according to a widely shared screenshot on social media. The BNP has dismissed the elections as 'dummy polls'.
Although voting day was peaceful, there were violent protests and deadly arsons in the run-up to the election. The government accused the BNP of inciting violence to sabotage the elections.
Many countries, including the US, have claimed that the January 7 elections were not free and fair and were full of irregularities. Critics have also warned against the virtual one-party rule of Sheikh Hasina's party in the absence of any opposition.
“The BNP's decision to abstain from elections is their party's strategic choice. The BNP has been involved in political violence and arson since October 28. A democratic government cannot just stand by and watch. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the lives and property of the people. The government had no option but to take action against such terrorism,” said Syed Borhan Kabir, editor-in-chief of Bangla Insider.
He added: “It is true that if the BNP had participated in elections, democracy would have been complete and elections would have been competitive. In such a scenario, turnout is always low. Nevertheless, 41 percent of voters cast their votes. votes, which isn't bad. A weak constitutional government is much better than an unconstitutional government.”
Budding partnership between India and Bangladesh
Bangladesh has always accepted India's role in its independence in 1971. The two countries share a common history and heritage, and linguistic and cultural ties. They share a unique geographical feature: not only is Bangladesh surrounded on all sides by India, but they also share 54 rivers, flowing from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. Because there are so many similarities, the ties between people and development cooperation have been given priority.
Yet there have been periods of mutual distrust.
Mr Kabir explains that after 1975, due to rising anti-India sentiments and a shift towards Pakistan-centric politics in Bangladesh, there was a period of tense relations, and Bangladesh's territory was sometimes used to attack India. traps. “In 2009, Sheikh Hasina adopted a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. The rise of separatist elements is not something India desires. At the same time, mutual trust between the two countries has grown stronger over the past fifteen years,” he said.
There is resentment in Bangladesh over the failed Teesta River water-sharing deal, which was supposed to be signed in September 2011. Concerns about cross-border impacts of the proposed National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, as well as sporadic incidents of Bangladeshi infiltrators being shot at at the border, are issues plaguing Bangladesh.
On the economic front, the balance of trade has turned in India's favor and the large volume of informal trade, again dominated by India, has resulted in a trade deficit, and Bangladesh expects Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to resolve these issues. According to Commerce Ministry data, India's exports to Bangladesh fell 13.32 percent between April and October 2023, while imports saw a smaller decline of 2.3 percent. This is attributed to the currency shortages in Bangladesh, the liquidity crisis and perhaps an election-related slowdown there.
For India, which is looking to build stronger momentum in the bilateral partnership, there can be no better news than Prime Minister Hasina's victory. To allay concerns, India and Bangladesh have held talks at the foreign ministers level on key areas such as security, trade and regional connectivity. The two sides also discussed the Teesta River dispute and other water-sharing pacts last November.
India values Bangladesh, and this was demonstrated when Prime Minister Hasina was the only South Asian leader invited to the G20 Leaders Summit under India's presidency.
To further ties, Prime Minister Modi and Sheikh Hasina recently inaugurated three projects: the Akhaura-Agartala Cross-Border Rail Link, the Khulna-Mongla Port Rail Line and Unit-II of the Maitree Super Critical Thermal Power Plant in Rampal, Bangladesh. These projects aim to strengthen connectivity and energy security in the region. The Bangladesh government has also allowed transit and transshipment of cargo from West Bengal to the northeastern states through Chattogram and Mongla ports.
There are ongoing talks between India and Bangladesh on a free trade agreement between the two countries to boost economic ties. Under CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement), the two trading partners will be able to reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. Last year, India and Bangladesh initiated trade transactions in rupees to reduce dependence on the US dollar and strengthen regional currency trading.
“Bilateral relations between the two countries are at their peak. In the short term there will be 'business as usual', but in the long term, if no concrete agreements are signed, people will see through it. Sharing water has always been an emotional issue. for the common people,” said Sreeradha Datta, Professor of International Affairs, Jindal Global University.
“The people of Bangladesh feel that they have supported India in opening their trade corridor and facilitating cross-border bilateral engagement. It is high time for India to give back,” said Ms Datta.
India and Bangladesh need each other to survive and prosper. Radicalization is a common enemy and only a joint struggle will help. Lessons from geopolitics suggest that countries engage in mutually beneficial relationships. There is no guideline for this.
(Bharti Mishra Nath is a senior journalist)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.