Bangladesh Cabinet Swearing-In Ceremony Scheduled for February 17: LS Speaker Birla to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony

Bangladesh's new cabinet to take oath tomorrow : LS Speaker Birla to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony

PTI, DHAKA/NEW DELHI, FEB 15, 2026: The newly-elected Members of Parliament of Bangladesh are scheduled to take oath on Tuesday morning, followed by the swearing-in ceremony of the cabinet in the evening, local media reported.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin is likely to administer the oath of office to the newly elected parliament members at 10 am, while President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the new cabinet of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman at 4 pm.

According to the Election Commission (EC), the BNP, led by Rahman, has bagged 209 out of 297 seats, while right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami secured 68 seats.

“Most probably — I repeat, most probably — under the current circumstances, the oath will be administered by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC),” Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul was reported as saying.

Rahman is set to become the prime minister for the first time. He will replace the interim government chief, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, under whose tenure Dhaka's relations with New Delhi witnessed a significant downturn.

BNP has informed authorities that it will elect its parliamentary party leader immediately after the swearing-in, bdnews24 quoted Nazrul as saying.

"We have been informed that the President will administer the oath of office (to the new cabinet) on Tuesday at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) complex," a Bangabhaban (presidential palace) official said on the condition of anonymity on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony, according to an External Affairs Ministry statement.

Om Birla, the Lok Sabha Speaker, will represent the Government of India at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected government of Bangladesh led by Tarique Rahman, the External Affairs Ministry said on Sunday. "The 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 said in a statement.

"As neighbours united by a shared history, culture, and mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh's transition to an elected government under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people," it said.

Bangladesh has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other regional leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the country's next prime minister, Tarique Rahman, on February 17, 2026, according to a BNP statement on Saturday.

According to the Third Schedule of the Constitution, the CEC is the third choice for the job in the absence of the outgoing parliament's speaker and deputy speaker.

"The speaker of the last parliament is supposed to administer the oath of office to the MPs, but she resigned and is living in an undisclosed location, while the deputy speaker is in jail," he said.