Dhaka, 13 February (H.S.): The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has secured an unassailable lead in Bangladesh's 13th parliamentary elections held on Thursday, February 12, dominating the 299-seat Jatiya Sangsad contest and positioning alliance chief Tarique Rahman for prime ministership after clinching the most seats in the 300-member house.

Vote counting across 299 constituencies neared completion late Thursday, with Prothom Alo's website reporting unofficial tallies from 192 parliamentary areas: BNP and allies at 143 seats, Jamaat-e-Islami and partners at 42, Islamic Andolan Bangladesh, independents, and others claiming six; the National Party has yet to register a win, shattering Jamaat's power ambitions and relegating it to opposition benches.

Media projections from various Bangladeshi news channels forecast BNP securing approximately 197-198 seats—comfortably surpassing the 151 needed for government formation—while Jamaat-led coalitions may garner 40-60; this emphatic mandate in the first post-Sheikh Hasina polls signals BNP's triumphant resurgence, with Rahman poised to lead after 15 years.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar