Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman submits nomination papers for February polls

Monday was the final day for presenting nomination papers for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday presented his nomination papers for the upcoming national elections, marking his formal entry into the February 12 contest after returning to the country from a 17-year exile.

The nomination papers were filed around 12:00 pm at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in Segunbagichicha, the Daily Star reported.

Abdus Salam, adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, accompanied by Professor Dr Farhad Halim Donar, chief adviser of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), submitted the papers on Rahman’s behalf. Rahman will contest from the Dhaka-17 constituency.

Monday was the last day for submitting nomination papers for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday submitted his nomination papers for the upcoming national elections, marking his formal entry into the February 12 contest after returning to the country from a 17-year exile.

The nomination papers were filed around 12:00 pm at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in Segunbagicha, the Daily Star reported.

Abdus Salam, advisor to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, accompanied by Professor Dr Farhad Halim Donar, chief advisor of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), submitted the papers on Rahman’s behalf. Rahman will contest from the Dhaka-17 constituency.

Speaking at a briefing, Salam expressed gratitude to all, saying city residents warmly welcomed Rahman after 17 years in exile. He added that they expected the people of Dhaka-17 to spontaneously cast their votes for him in the February 12 election.

Rahman’s nomination comes a day after Bangladesh‘s Election Commission approved his inclusion in the voter list, weeks ahead of the polls.

On Saturday, the 60-year-old BNP leader visited the EC office and provided fingerprints and iris scans for biometric enrollment, having earlier submitted his voter registration application online.

Rahman and his daughter,

Zamia, completed all procedures for voter registration and issuance of National Identification Cards. Following their inclusion in the voter list, new NID numbers will be generated for both.

Bangladesh introduced a voter list with photographs and biometric data in 2008. Rahman, who was a political prisoner at the time, left for London on September 11 that year after his release and was not included in the list as he was overseas.

Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, returned to Bangladesh on December 25, ending his self-exile to take charge of the party, even as his mother remains in an “extremely critical” condition at a Bangladesh hospital.

In a major development in Bangladesh‘s lead-up to the February 2026 parliamentary election, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tariq Rahman has officially filed his nomination papers to run for a seat from Dhaka-17, authorities and party officials said on Monday.

Rahman’s papers were submitted at the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner’s office in Segunbagicha around noon by senior party members acting on his behalf, as reported by The Daily Star. The nomination formalises his bid for one of the key constituencies in the capital, which includes areas like Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara.

The move comes shortly after Rahman returned to Bangladesh in late December following 17 years in self-imposed exile in London, a homecoming that energized his supporters and led to political buzz across Bangladesh.

Before filing his nomination, Rahman completed voter registration and was added to the voter list in Ward 19 of the Dhaka-17 area, meeting an essential eligibility requirement to stand in the elections.

Dual constituency strategy

BNP leaders confirmed that Rahman plans to contest not just Dhaka-17, but also Bogra-6, as part of the party’s wider electoral strategy.

In a statement to journalists, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated the party’s plan: “Our party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will contest the election from two seats. One is Bogura-6 and the other is Dhaka-17. This is a party decision.”

What does this mean for the election?

Political watchers say Rahman’s decision adds fresh momentum to the BNP’s campaign and sets up what could be one of the most watched contests in Dhaka’s politics this cycle.

The election, scheduled for February 12, 2026, is part of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad and is expected to reshape the country’s political landscape, with major parties and coalitions jockeying for influence.

After 17 years in exile, BNP’s Tarique Rahman steps into electoral fray

Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tariq Rahman submitted his nomination papers on Monday for the upcoming elections. The papers were filed around afternoon on Monday at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in Segunbagicha, the Daily Star reported.

Extortion claims turn Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar into flashpoint as traders fight back

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Traders, extortion gang clash at Karwan Bazar during protest over harassment.

Tensions flared at Dhaka’s historical Karwan Bazar on Sunday as traders protesting alleged extortion were attacked by a gang, triggering violent clashes that left several people injured. According to traders, they had formed a human chain earlier in the day to protest what they described as months of harassment and rising extortion demands. The demonstration was ongoing when a mob, allegedly linked to extortion rackets operating in the area, arrived at the market and confronted the protesters. Eyewitnesses said the conflict quickly escalated into a physical clash, with both sides attacking each other. Several traders and others sustained injuries in the violence, though the exact number was not immediately known.

Owaisi condemns Hindu lynching, flags similar incidents in India

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that his party strongly condemned the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mandal, calling the incidents a violation of Bangladesh’s founding principles.

“Bangladesh was created on secular Bangla nationalism, and there are 20 million minorities who are not Muslims who live in Bangladesh… I sincerely hope that the tensions don’t escalate between India and Bangladesh, and whatever is happening in Bangladesh in terms of what happened to the sad incident of Dipu Chandra Das and Amrit Mandal is contrary to their own constitutional mandate, and I hope that Md Yunus will ensure that all the minorities living in Bangladesh are protected,” he said.

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