Good morning,

The centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Tarique Rahman, secured an emphatic victory in the Bangladesh elections, with a resounding mandate in a pivotal vote that is expected to restore political stability in the South Asian nation. Leading in over 200 seats in the 300-seat parliament, the party will now form the government with a two-thirds majority, while Jamaat-e-Islami will emerge as the main Opposition party in Bangladesh. This is a remarkable turnaround for a party that had long been a political pariah. These are the first national elections since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Follow here for the latest updates on the Bangladesh Election Results 2026.

With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:

🚨 Big Story

Soon after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey submitted a notice moving a substantive motion against the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the latter once again targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government over India-US the trade deal, asserting, “do whatever you want, I am standing with the farmers” and “will not budge even an inch”. Gandhi’s remarks came a day after he mounted a sharp attack on the government, accusing it of compromising India’s energy security and farm interests in the trade deal. On Thursday, Dubey sought Gandhi’s “immediate expulsion” from the Lower House after initiating an “inquiry to examine all his unethical conduct”.

Then, is the LoP at the risk of being expelled? With the substantive motion moved against Gandhi, all eyes are on what this crucial instrument means. According to M N Kaul’s and S L Shakdher’s authoritative book Practice and Procedure of Parliament, “a substantive motion is a self-contained independent proposal submitted for the approval of the House and drafted in such a manner as to be capable of expressing a decision of the House.” They are put to a vote so that they express the decision of the House. Here’s what substantive motions mean.

Fallout: Following Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri’s statement that he had met convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein “three or four times”, Congress MP and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Thursday demanded the resignation of the Cabinet Minister. Priyanka alleged that Puri had corresponded with Epstein after the allegations against him were made public. The fresh tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on January 30 shows that Puri exchanged emails with Epstein in 2014-15. Referring to the documents, Priyanka told The Indian Express, “In my opinion, he should resign.”

⚡ Only in Express

“While we are opponents, we are not enemies”.

As the Parliament Budget Session 2026 is underway, our columnist Neerja Chowdhury reflects on the declining parliamentary standards in the country, which has now become “commonplace,” and suggests all MPs should remember BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’s words in 2014, during the last sitting of the 15th Lok Sabha.

In the backdrop of the recent disruptions in the Parliament that have rendered sessions dysfunctional, Chowdhury writes: “The bitterness that has come to vitiate the relationship between the two sides makes dialogue that much more difficult. While the government has to ensure Parliament runs smoothly, it is not possible without the cooperation of the Opposition, or without civility in public discourse, which is becoming a casualty.” Here’s why MPs need to recall Swaraj’s words once again.

📰 From the Front Page

Following a dip in membership and revenue, the legal fraternity, comprising 15 Senior Advocates of the Supreme Court, has now stepped in to save ‘Mohammad’ Deepak’s gym in Kotdwar. Deepak was thrust into the limelight in January when he stood up to a group of men who were harassing a 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, to drop the word “Baba” from his shop’s name. A video of Deepak calling himself Mohammad Deepak during the confrontation went viral, and he soon began to struggle to sustain his livelihood. The Senior Advocates have pitched in Rs 10,000 each as a one-year membership fee. The move, they said, was inspired by the act of CPI(M) MP John Brittas, who had visited the gym and purchased the membership.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) Thursday cleared the long-awaited proposal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jets from France under an inter-governmental deal for the Indian Air Force (IAF), of which 90 jets would be manufactured in India. Led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the DAC has also cleared the procurement of six additional P8I maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from the US for the Navy. The development comes days before French President Emmanuel Macron’s scheduled visit to India between February 17 and 19.

📌 Must Read

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri Thursday held a meeting with United States Ambassador Sergio Gor in New Delhi, following which the latter confirmed that with the finalisation of the trade deal, many opportunities are poised to open up for partnership between the two countries. This comes on a day when New Delhi has categorically said that the joint statement released by both sides on February 7 remains the basis for the interim trade agreement.

In our Opinion section today, N K Singh takes a deep dive into India’s next steps as the world adjusts to the United States power politics. Singh writes: “A successful negotiation is often said to leave all sides equally dissatisfied. If this agreement raises exports and deepens technical-industrial capability during a disorderly global transition, it is a substantial achievement. It is ironic that a momentous mindset shift is met with prevarication. India is mature enough to seek purposeful engagement with a credible place in the global value added chain. What could have been a moment missed has become a moment seized.”

AI Stack: The success of artificial intelligence (AI) in India largely depends on how our AI applications can help improve the quality of life of our citizens. The Economic Survey 2026 is pragmatic about how India can leverage AI and solve its social and economic problems. Applications in health, agriculture, education, urban management, and disaster preparedness seem to show some promise. Certainly, with the right support, many of these can scale to a pan-India market and, later, can be bundled into an India AI Applications Stack. Take a look at some groundbreaking initiatives.

⏳ And Finally…

The whole of Pakistan is counting on Sahibzada Farhan against India, as both countries gear up to fight it out on Sunday at the Sri Lanka ground. For, Farhan has done what few other batsmen in the world have – to counterpunch Jasprit Bumrah and unsettle him in the first spell. My colleague Venkata Krishna B, who’s in Sri Lanka covering the ICC T20 World Cup, writes: “From 2019 to 2024, Pakistan has witnessed their batsmen crumble against Bumrah. Be it Ahmedabad or New York, Bumrah has cracked open the game with his artistry similar to how Pakistan’s wondrous seamers had subjected Indian batsmen during their good old days. Hence, Farhan’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

🎧 Lastly, don’t forget to tune in to today’s episode of our 3 Things podcast, where we discuss the chaos over an AI-generated video of Himanta that left BJP red-faced; BJD protests in Odisha; as well as India’s latest procurement of 114 Rafale jets, Poseidon 8I maritime surveillance along with anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,
Ariba