BNP sweeps Bangladesh elections, Andhra Pradesh Budget 2026, and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) BNP sweeps Bangladesh elections

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by chairman Tarique Rahman, is set to return to power in Dhaka after two decades, following a landslide victory in the February 12 Parliamentary election, winning over 210 seats out of the 299 seats that were contested. The 11-party alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami has won 77 seats.

This was the first national election since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. The National Citizen Party (NCP), founded by student leaders who spearheaded the anti-Hasina agitation in 2024 and entered the election claiming the legacy of the “revolution”, won just 6 seats.

(2) Andhra Pradesh Budget for FY 2027 tabled

The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday (February 14, 2026) presented a comprehensive and forward-looking Budget for the financial year 2026–27, with a total outlay of ₹3,32,205 crore. Of this, revenue expenditure is estimated at ₹2,56,142 crore, while capital expenditure stands at ₹48,697 crore, reflecting a continued emphasis on asset creation and long-term development.

Emphasising the importance of investing in human capital, he announced that School Education has received the highest allocation of over ₹32,300 crore. This is followed by significant outlays for Backward Classes (BC) Welfare at ₹23,650.88 crore. Social Welfare and EWS Welfare departments have been allocated ₹11,118.84 crore and ₹10,699.33 crore, respectively.

The government earmarked ₹9,906 crore for major irrigation projects to strengthen water security across the State, including ₹6,105 crore for the prestigious Polavaram Project.

The Budget for the financial year 2026-27 reveals that Andhra Pradesh is navigating a complex financial landscape. The government seems to be increasingly relying on “off-budget” mechanisms, specifically State-backed guarantees, to fund its essential machinery.

(3) Canada school shooting: At least 10, including shooter, dead

A shooting at a school in British Columbia left eight dead including the suspect, with two more people found dead at a home believed to be connected to the incident, Canadian authorities said on Tuesday (February 10, 2026).

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said more than 25 people are injured, including two with life-threatening injuries, after the shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.

School shootings are rare in Canada.

The town of Tumbler Ridge, which has a population of about 2,400 people, is more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) north of Vancouver, near the border with Alberta. The provincial government website lists Tumbler Ridge Secondary School as having 175 students from Grades 7 to 12.

(4) BCCI contracts: Rohit and Kohli downgraded

Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja have been demoted from Grade A+ while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been pushed to Grade B in the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) annual retainers for the ongoing 2025-26 season.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia officially announced the list of 30 male and 21 female cricketers who have been awarded central contracts on Monday through a media statement.

Jadeja, Bumrah and Shubman Gill, the Test and ODI captain, are the only three cricketers to have been included in the top tier (₹5 crore).

(5) Kim Jong Un’s daughter to be designated as future leader

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday (February 12, 2026) that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country’s future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation.

The assessment by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) comes as North Korea is preparing to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Mr. Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian grip.

In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old — appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, said lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.

Published – February 17, 2026 11:12 am IST