Mamata ‘Didi’ sends sweets & flowers to ‘Tarique bhai’ after BNP's landslide win

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday congratulated Tarique Rahman after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party secured a landslide victory in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad elections. The BNP won 209 of the 297 declared seats, with the Election Commission announcing results for 297 out of 300 constituencies. Rahman is scheduled to be sworn in as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister on February 17.

As a gesture of goodwill, Banerjee sent flowers and sweets to Rahman at the BNP chairperson’s political office in Gulshan. The gifts were received by party representatives at the office. Earlier in the day, Banerjee took to social media to congratulate the people of Bangladesh and personally addressed the BNP leader as “Tarique-Bhai” in her message.

“My hearty congratulations… to all my brothers and sisters, all the people in Bangladesh. My advance Ramazan Mubarak to all of them,” Banerjee wrote, extending festive greetings ahead of the holy month. She also congratulated Rahman and his party for what she described as a great victory and expressed hope that the ties between India and Bangladesh would remain cordial.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Rahman on the decisive mandate and later held a telephonic conversation with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister-elect. The development comes amid evolving political circumstances in the neighbouring country following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and recent tensions, placing renewed focus on bilateral relations.