Tarique Rahman swearing in: India will be represented by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at the swearing-in of Bangladesh PM-elect Tarique Rahman, which is scheduled for Tuesday, 17 February.
Om Birla will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, reported news wire ANI, citing sources.
"The Hon’ble Speaker’s participation at this important event underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India's steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind our two nations," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement issued on Sunday, 15 February.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with other regional leaders, to attend the swearing-in of the cabinet, following the party's resounding victory in Bangladesh's national elections.
Bangladesh election results
Held on February 12, 2026 – the Bangladesh parliamentary elections – marked a major political shift. It was the first election after the 2024 student uprising which also witnessed the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Tarique Rahman-led party won a landslide majority in the 300-seat parliament, securing well over the 151 seats needed to form a government and positioning the BNP chief as prime minister-designate. The Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami alliance emerged as the main opposition.
Following BNP party's landslide win – the 60-year-old BNP chairman is set to inherit a country grappling with high inflation, a weakening currency and youth unemployment running at a staggering 14 per cent, news agencies reported from the ground in Dhaka.
Who is Tarique Rahman?
Born on 20 November 1965 in Dacca, East Pakistan, modern-day Dhaka, Bangladesh – Tarique Rahman is the scion of one of Bangladesh’s most prominent political families.
His mother, Khaleda Zia, was a two-time prime minister who died last year. His father, Ziaur Rahman, was a military officer who served as president of Bangladesh.
In his first remarks after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's (BNP)'s sweeping win in the parliamentary elections, Tarique Rahman called for unity among all citizens.
“To ensure that no evil force can re-establish autocracy in the country, and to ensure that the nation is not turned into a subservient state, we must remain united and uphold the will of the people,” Rahman said at a press briefing on Saturday, 14 February.
Which other nations have been invited?
Chief Adviser of the interim Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus, has invited leaders of 13 countries, including China, India, and Pakistan, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet, Prothom Alo reported.
According to diplomatic sources, the list of invited countries so far includes China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan – mentioned the Bangladeshi media outlet's report.
