Staff Reporter :
Former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia will contest the next general election from three constituencies.
Besides, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will also contest in the polls from Bogura-6 constituency for the first time.
The party announced it on Monday. According to the announcement made by the interim government, the 13th National Parliamentary Election is scheduled to be held in February next year.
Ahead of the polls, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced its preliminary list of candidates.
On Monday evening, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names of the party’s candidates at a press conference held at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan, Dhaka.
Mirza Fakhrul said that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will contest in the upcoming election. She will run from Dinajpur-3, Bogura-7, and Feni-1 constituencies. The party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will contest from Bogura-6 (Sadar).
Tarique Rahman, who has been living in exile in the United Kingdom for the past 17 years, is set to return to Bangladesh in mid-November – his first major political comeback in nearly two decades.
“After much speculation, it is now evident that our leader is determined to return home around mid-November.
He is likely to fly to Dhaka from London sometime between November 10 and 20,” Mirza Fakhrul said, “After 16 long years, we are heading towards a democratic election this February.
For this election, we are announcing a list of potential candidates for 237 constituencies. For the seats where our allies from the joint movement will field candidates, BNP will coordinate accordingly.”
Earlier in the day, a meeting of the BNP Standing Committee, chaired by Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, finalized the preliminary list of candidates.