North-east India looks forward to Bangladesh polls

Indications come from Dhaka that Bangladesh may go for national elections this year itself if the concerned political parties agree to accept a minimal reform in various administrative, financial and electoral agencies with assurances that the winning representatives in Jatiya Sansad (National Assembly/Parliament) will continue pursuing the reform process in the South Asian country.

- NAVA THAKURIA

Bangladesh caretaker government head Professor Muhammad Yunus recently pointed out on different platforms that the stalled election can be held by December 2025, and he has already directed the responsible authorities to prepare for the general elections.

However, the Nobel laureate, who took the leadership of an interim government in Dhaka soon after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted by a student-led mass movement in July-August 2024, asserted that the Muslim-majority nation needs a major reform in various sectors, including civil & police administration, anti-corruption departments, financial institutions, and the judicial and electoral systems, to bring the poverty-stricken country on the right tracks.

The country that shares over 4,050 kilometers of international border with India (1,879 km with northeastern states, namely Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram) has nearly 180 million people with over 12 crore eligible voters.

The Bangladesh Election Commission has assured free, fair and comprehensive polls to elect the parliamentarians, following which a stable democratic regime is expected in Dhaka.

People of northeast India (NE) continue looking forward to an improved relation with Bangladesh, as they expect normal exports comprising coal, limestone, stone chips, and bamboo products (and imports like cement, plastic goods, garments, processed food and beverages) besides an improved connectivity through road, rail and river routes crossing Bangladesh to the rest of India.

Potential tourism revenues from Bangladeshi nationals and the use of Chittagong port as well as Sylhet airport are also expected to give dividends to the landlocked region of India.