Bangladesh Seeks New Teesta Water Pact After West Bengal Election

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is pushing to resolve the long-term delay of the Teesta water-sharing agreement, attributing the stalemate to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Following the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) victory in the West Bengal elections, BNP officials expressed optimism that the new leadership will facilitate the implementation of the Teesta Barrage project.

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman stated that Bangladesh wants to reconsider the 2011 in-principle agreement, which proposed allocating 37.5% of the waters to Bangladesh and 42.5% to India. Rahman described the water issue as a matter of life and death for the region.

To explore further options, Rahman indicated he will discuss China's proposed Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. While the BNP and BJP maintain ideological differences, the BNP suggests both parties are now aligned on improving bilateral ties and finalizing water-sharing terms.