Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has submitted his nomination papers to contest the upcoming general election from the Dhaka-17 constituency, party officials have said.
The nomination papers were submitted on his behalf on Monday at the office of the Divisional Commissioner and Returning Officer in Segunbagicha, according to Abdus Salam, the BNP’s chief election coordinator and a member of the party chairperson’s Advisory Council.
Salam, who is also serving as Tarique Rahman’s chief campaign coordinator and election agent, said the BNP leader was expected to receive support from voters across political lines.
“We are hopeful that he will secure broad public support and, if elected, play a leading role in addressing the country’s challenges,” Salam said.
He added that Tarique Rahman has long-standing ties to the Dhaka-17 constituency, noting that he was previously registered as a voter in the area and had lived in the Dhaka Cantonment zone.
“At the request of many residents, he decided at the final stage to contest from Dhaka-17,” Salam said.
Nomination papers have also been collected on Tarique Rahman’s behalf for the Bogura-6 constituency, party officials said.
Tarique Rahman completed the legal requirement to contest the election by enrolling as a voter on Saturday and collecting nomination papers on Sunday. Under Bangladesh’s electoral laws, candidates must be registered voters, though registration in any constituency is sufficient to stand for parliament.
The BNP has also announced that its chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will contest from three constituencies — Bogura-7, Feni-1 and Dinajpur-3.
Monday marked the final day for the submission of nomination papers nationwide. In Dhaka, the process is being overseen by three returning officers responsible for the capital’s 20 parliamentary constituencies.
Elsewhere in the capital, BNP candidate Bobby Hajjaj, a former chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), submitted his nomination papers to contest from Dhaka-13.
Speaking to reporters after filing his papers at the Election Training Institute in Agargaon, Bobby Hajjaj said he was optimistic about the prospects of a credible election. He said he had joined the BNP as part of a broader political strategy and would contest under the party’s electoral symbol, the paddy sheaf.
Election officials said that across the country more than 3,000 nomination papers have been collected by candidates backed by political parties as well as independents. Bangladesh currently has 59 registered political parties, all preparing to contest the polls by submitting nominations along with required documentation and security deposits.
Political activity intensifies across the country as parties finalise their candidates, anticipating the general election in the coming months.
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