Bangladesh elections: Why India matters across the border - BBC News

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeks a fourth consecutive term as the country goes to the polls on Sunday.

16 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sheikh Hasina alongside Narendra Modi in Delhi last yearBy Anbarasan EthirajanBBC NewsAs Bangladesh gets ready to hold general elections on 7 January, the role of its giant neighbour India is being intensely discussed in the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is seeking a fourth consecutive term and her win looks inevitable as the main opposition parties are boycotting the election.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies say they have no faith that Ms Hasina will hold a free and fair election. They asked her to step down and allow the polls to be held under a neutral interim government - demands she rejected.

The Muslim-majority nation of about 170 million people, Bangladesh is almost surrounded on three sides - barring a 271km (168-mile)-long border with Myanmar in the southeast - by India.

For India, Bangladesh is not just a neighbouring country. It's a strategic partner and a close ally, crucial to the security of its north-eastern states.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-67860458?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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