NEW DELHI, FEB 15 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh\u2019s PM-elect Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on February 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is set to assume office after his party registered a sweeping victory in the first national election held following the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bangladesh has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the ceremony, but he is unlikely to travel to Dhaka as he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on February 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement, the government said Om Birla\u2019s presence at the ceremony underlines the importance New Delhi attaches to its relationship with Dhaka and reflects the shared democratic values between the two neighbours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among other regional leaders, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is expected to travel to Dhaka for Tarique Rahman’s swearing-in. The interim administration headed by Muhammad Yunus has invited 13 countries, including India, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The BNP won 209 of the 297 seats in Parliament, paving the way for its return to power after nearly two decades. The right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats. Hasina\u2019s Awami League was barred from contesting the polls. Voter turnout stood at 59.44 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rahman, son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, had spent 17 years in self-imposed exile in London before emerging as the central figure in his party\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
INDIA-BANGLADESH TIES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the announcement of the results, PM Modi spoke with Rahman and conveyed his wishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples,\u201d PM Modi said in a post on X, adding that he looked forward to working together to advance shared development goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his initial remarks after the victory, Rahman said Bangladesh\u2019s \u201cinterests\u201d would shape ties with New Delhi. He added that Dhaka would seek balanced relations with regional powers, including India, China and Pakistan, and did not consider any country a \u201cmaster\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The BNP, responding to PM Modi\u2019s message, said it looked forward to constructive engagement with India guided by mutual respect and sensitivity to each other\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI, FEB 15 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh\u2019s PM-elect Tarique Rahman in Dhaka on February 17. Rahman, chairman of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[348],"tags":[22557,24772,63,28213],"class_list":["post-148612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","tag-bangaldesh","tag-loka-sabha-speaker-ombirla","tag-new-delhi","tag-om-birla-to-represent-india-at-bangladesh-pm-elect-tarique-rahmans-swearing-in"],"yoast_head":"\n