Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 13: India on Thursday said it will wait for the outcome and mandate of the ongoing parliamentary elections in Bangladesh before taking a view on related issues, even as polling was underway in the neighbouring nation.
Addressing a weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We stand for a free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh.”
Voting for the 13th parliamentary elections was held along with a referendum on the implementation of an 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter. Counting of votes began after polling concluded at 4.30 pm local time.
Responding to queries on references to “robust defence plans” in the manifestos of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, Jaiswal said India would assess the situation after the results are declared.
“The election is going on in Bangladesh. We should wait for the outcome of the elections to see what sort of mandate has come, and thereafter we will look at issues that are there. On the election per se, you know what our position has been. We stand for a free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh,” he said.
On whether New Delhi had sent observers for the polls, he said, “We did receive an invitation for sending observers. We have not sent our observers to Bangladesh.”
The election is being seen as a direct contest between the BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s now disbanded Awami League. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ interim government last year disbanded the Awami League and barred it from contesting the polls. An election commission spokesperson said the first significant results were expected overnight.
Jaiswal also addressed questions on India’s sourcing of oil from Russia amid Washington’s tariff policy.
“On Russian oil, the foreign secretary has made an elaborate statement. Please look at that, it will give you an idea as to what our approach is. I have also spoken from this podium on several occasions about what remains our approach to energy sourcing,” he said.
Earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India will continue to maintain multiple sources for crude oil purchases and diversify them to ensure stability in the supply chain, with national interest remaining the guiding factor, amid claims from Washington that New Delhi had agreed to stop importing Russian oil.
On a United Nations sanctions monitoring report mentioning a Pakistan-based terror outfit in connection with the Red Fort blast in Delhi last November, Jaiswal said the report was in the public domain.
“This was the 37th Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, published on February 4, 2026. We have seen that they have taken on board India’s inputs regarding our concerns on cross-border terrorism and how to strengthen the global fight against terrorism,” he said.