Dhaka, Dec 29: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, who returned to the country after 17 years in self-exile, has filed his nomination papers for the Dhaka-17 constituency in the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad election scheduled for February 2026, Daily Star reported.
The papers were submitted on Monday at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in Segunbagicha by BNP chairperson’s adviser Abdus Salam, accompanied by Farhad Halim Donar, chief adviser of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB). The nomination papers had been collected from Tarique on Sunday.
Tarique had registered himself as a voter of Dhaka-17 on Saturday, following which senior BNP leaders urged him to contest from this constituency.
The BNP leader returned to Dhaka on December 25 with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman, marking a historic political moment after the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year during the July Uprising. Tarique expressed his gratitude for the massive public welcome and emphasized his commitment to building Bangladesh as an inclusive and safe state.
“Last Thursday was a day I will carry in my heart forever… the warmth of your welcome and the prayers of millions are moments I will never forget,” he wrote in a post on X.
Tarique Rahman had been arrested during the army-backed caretaker government of 2007–08 and went into exile in London following his release. Since 2018, he has led BNP as acting chairman from abroad. After the political shift in August last year, he was acquitted of all pending cases, paving the way for his return to Bangladesh.