The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Islamist Jamaat‑e‑Islami were locked in a tight race on Thursday, early counting showed, after tens of millions of Bangladeshis voted in a pivotal national election - the first since the 2024 Gen Z‑driven uprising that toppled long‑time premier Sheikh Hasina.

Analysts say a clear outcome is crucial for stability in the nation of 175 million, after months of deadly anti‑Hasina protests disrupted daily life and affected major industries, including the garment sector, the world's second‑largest exporter.

The election followed recent under‑30, Gen Z‑led uprisings across the world, with Nepal set to hold a vote next month.

Counting began at 4:30 p.m. (1030 GMT) at most booths, immediately after polls closed, with clear trends expected around midnight and results likely by Friday morning, Election Commission officials said.

The race pitted two coalitions led by former allies, BNP and Jamaat, with opinion polls giving the BNP a slight edge. BNP was leading in 10 seats and Jamaat in seven of the nearly 20 seats for which early trends were available, local TV news stations reported.

Bangladesh's parliament, the Jatiya Sangsad, has 300 seats, with 151 required for a simple majority.

Turnout appeared set to exceed the 42 per cent recorded in the last election in 2024. Local media reported that more than 60 per cent of registered voters were expected to have cast ballots.

Both prime ministerial candidates, BNP's Tarique Rahman and Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman, expressed confidence. The two men are not related.

"I am confident of winning the election. There is enthusiasm among the people about the vote," Tarique Rahman told reporters, while Jamaat's Shafiqur Rahman called the election a "turning point" for Bangladesh and said the people were eager for change.

Hasina's Awami League is banned, and she remains in self‑imposed exile in long‑time ally India, opening the window for China to expand its influence in Bangladesh as Dhaka's ties with New Delhi fray.

In a statement sent to journalists on WhatsApp, Hasina denounced the election as a "carefully planned farce," held without her party and without real voter participation. She said Awami League supporters had rejected the process.

"We demand the cancellation of this voterless, illegal, and unconstitutional election ... the removal of the suspension imposed on the activities of the Awami League; and the restoration of the people’s voting rights through the arrangement of a free, fair, and inclusive election under a neutral caretaker government," she said.

Alongside the election, a referendum was held on a set of constitutional reforms, including establishing a neutral interim government for election periods, restructuring parliament into a bicameral legislature, increasing women's representation, strengthening judicial independence, and introducing a two-term limit for the prime minister.

More than 2,000 candidates, including many independents, were on the ballot, with at least 50 parties contesting, a national record. Voting in one constituency was postponed after a candidate died. There were no reports of major violence.

Around 958,000 personnel from police, army, and paramilitary forces were deployed nationwide, the Election Commission said. Police and army personnel were stationed outside most polling booths.

"I am feeling excited because we are voting in a free manner after 17 years," Mohammed Jobair Hossain, 39, said as he waited in line. "Our votes will matter and have meaning."

Many voters shared that sentiment, telling Reuters the atmosphere felt freer and more festive than previous elections. Kamal Chowdhury, 31, who works as a driver in Dhaka and travelled to his hometown in Brahmanbaria to vote, said: "It feels festive here."

Outside a polling booth in Dhaka where BNP chief Tarique Rahman and head of the interim government Muhammad Yunus voted, policemen were on horses with saddle blankets proclaiming: "Police are here, vote without fear."