BNP Set to Form Government; India to Be Represented by Lok Sabha Speaker at Swearing-In

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is set to form the government after securing an absolute majority in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Representatives from SAARC member states and several other countries have been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Prime Minister.

According to Indian media reports, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the ceremony in person. Instead, India will be represented by Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha. He will be accompanied by India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

Several Indian media outlets reported that French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit India on February 17. A meeting between Modi and Macron is planned in Mumbai on the same day. The French President is expected to remain in India until February 19 before returning home. Given this schedule, the possibility of Prime Minister Modi visiting Bangladesh appears limited.

Earlier, following BNP’s victory in the February 12 election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Tarique Rahman over the phone. Modi also confirmed the telephone conversation with the BNP leader in a post on social media platform X.