Why Awami League’s ‘No Boat, No Election’ Rattled Deep State

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As Sheikh Hasina’s pro-India legacy returns to the streets, Western rhetoric, caretaker politics and election sermons expose a new phase of interference in Bangladesh.

By NIRENDRA DEV

New Delhi, December 18, 2025 — The United States’ so-called “deep state” appears visibly unsettled by the Awami League’s resurgent campaign slogan—“No Boat, No Election.” Far from a street-level chant, the message has struck at the heart of a carefully constructed post-August 2024 political narrative in Bangladesh—one that sought to erase Sheikh Hasina’s legacy and recast her removal as democratic renewal.

Western commentary has since gone into overdrive. A recent article by former US diplomat Jon Danilowicz frames the February 2026 general election as a “historic opportunity” to redefine Bangladesh’s democratic identity after what he terms the collapse of Hasina’s “autocratic regime.” This language is not accidental. It is classic Anglo-American rhetorical power—presented as neutral analysis, but unmistakably political in intent.

What such commentaries conveniently ignore is the democratic deficit of the current caretaker arrangement. Muhammad Yunus, installed on August 8, 2024—three days after Hasina fled to India amid chaos—heads a regime that was constitutionally bound to conduct elections within 90 days. That deadline passed long ago. For a brief interregnum, even Bangladesh’s Army Chief effectively ran the country. Yet Western concern about “democracy” surfaced only when the Awami League began reclaiming narrative space.

The delay suits multiple interests. Yunus faces an uncertain electoral landscape: the BNP and Jamaat could return with a decisive mandate, threatening his own political relevance. The hastily floated National Citizen Party (NCP) remains organisationally hollow. Above all, an early election would have cut short what critics describe as a half-finished Western project to politically neutralise Hasina—India’s most reliable ally in Dhaka.

Danilowicz’s discomfort with the Awami League campaign is telling. He even hints at the possibility of restricting voting rights of “fugitive” Awami League leaders and supporters—an extraordinary suggestion from those who sermonise on universal franchise. His warning that Bangladesh risks becoming a victim of “Awami League disinformation” reveals where the West’s idea of “pro-democracy forces” truly lies: firmly aligned with Yunus and his backers.

Meanwhile, India watches warily. Anti-India elements have gained ground under the caretaker regime. Attacks on Hindu temples have increased. New Delhi has already withdrawn a crucial trans-shipment facility, hitting Bangladesh’s garment exports and signalling diplomatic displeasure.

Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. Democratic renewal cannot be scripted from Washington, nor engineered through caretaker regimes or rhetorical intimidation. Nor can Dhaka reset ties with India by flirting with Pakistan or China. A genuine new beginning requires legitimacy—and that can only come from the ballot box, not Western op-eds.

(This is an opinion piece, and views are author’s)