Dhaka: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party raced ahead of its Islamist rival Jamaat‑e‑Islami on Thursday, early counting showed, after tens of millions of Bangladeshis voted in a pivotal national election. The BNP is led by top prime ministerial contender Tarique Rahman, the 60-year-old son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Ziaur Rahman. It was the first vote since the 2024 Gen Z-driven uprising that toppled long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina.

Analysts say a clear outcome is crucial for stability in the nation of 175 million after months of deadly anti‑Hasina unrest disrupted everyday life and hit major industries, including the garment sector, the world's second largest exporter.

It was also the first national election to follow the recent under-30, Gen Z‑led uprisings that have cropped up through the wider region, with Nepal set to hold a vote next month.

Counting began at 4:30 pm (1030 GMT) at most booths, immediately after polls closed with clear trends expected around midnight and results likely to be clear by Friday morning, Election Commission officials said.

Contest between former allies
The race pits two coalitions led by former allies, BNP and Jamaat, with opinion polls giving the BNP a slight edge.

BNP was leading in 50 seats and Jamaat in 18, local TV news stations said. Bangladesh's parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 300 seats, with 151 required for a simple majority.

The party declared on its official Facebook page that its chief and prime ministerial candidate Tarique Rahman had won one of two seats he contested. Election authorities were yet to announce the result officially, however.

BNP members clapped and cheered loudly as they celebrated outside the party office in Dhaka on hearing the news of his victory, visuals on the Facebook page showed.

Turnout appeared on track to exceed the 42% recorded in the last election in 2024. Local media reported that more than 60% of registered voters were expected to have cast ballots.

Hasina calls vote a farce
Hasina's Awami League is banned, and she remains in self-imposed exile in long-term ally India, opening the window for China to expand its influence in Bangladesh as Dhaka's ties with New Delhi fray.

Elections under Hasina were frequently marred by boycotts and intimidation, critics say.

In a statement sent to journalists on WhatsApp, Hasina denounced the election as a "carefully planned farce", held without her party and without real voter participation. She said Awami League supporters had rejected the process.

"We demand the cancellation of this voterless, illegal and unconstitutional election ..., the removal of the suspension imposed on the activities of the Awami League, and the restoration of the people’s voting rights through the arrangement of a free, fair, and inclusive election under a neutral caretaker government," she said.

Alongside the election, a referendum was held on a set of constitutional reforms, including establishing a neutral interim government for election periods, restructuring parliament into a bicameral legislature, increasing women's representation, strengthening judicial independence and introducing a two-term limit for the prime minister.

More than 2,000 candidates - including many independents -were on the ballot, and at least 50 parties contested, a national record. Voting in one constituency was postponed after a candidate died.

Long lines of voters
There were no reports of major violence. Around 958,000 personnel from the police, army and paramilitary forces were deployed throughout the country, the Election Commission said. Police and army personnel were stationed outside most polling booths.

"I am feeling excited because we are voting in a free manner after 17 years," Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, said as he waited in line. "Our votes will matter and have meaning."

Many voters echoed that sentiment, telling Reuters that the atmosphere felt freer and more festive than previous elections.

Kamal Chowdhury, 31, who works as a driver for a company in Dhaka and travelled to his hometown in the eastern district of Brahmanbaria to cast his vote, said: "It feels festive here."

Outside a polling booth in Dhaka where the BNP's Rahman and interim government chief Muhammad Yunus voted, policemen were on horses with saddle blankets proclaiming: "Police are here, vote without fear."