After being in exile for over 17 years in London, the son of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s acting chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman is returning to Dhaka on December 25. Will his return prove to be the winning hand of BNP in the upcoming general elections
Amid the political instability in Bangladesh, political parties have grappled up for the upcoming 2026 general elections. After being in exile for over 17 years in London, the son of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s acting chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman is returning to Dhaka on December 25.
As the elections are scheduled on February 12th, exactly 50 days before the country will go into polls and experience an electoral race. In view of Khaleda Zia’s critical health condition, Rahman’s return is seen as a homecoming and a life saver for BNP supporters.
The election will be marked in the history of Bangladesh which is happening amid such political upsurge. The first since 2024 students’ uprising, removal of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, and current religious mob lynching incident.
The interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has banned Hasina’s party, the Awami League, from taking part in elections. On Sunday, chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in a meeting discussed in detail various issues, including the return of Tarique.
Tarique’s return
Tarique’s return is seen as a homecoming that will solve the puzzle of 2026 general elections. Bangladesh’s election is seen as a never ending political debate.
Rahman is the acting Chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), went into self-imposed exile in London in 2008 primarily to evade multiple criminal and graft cases filed against him.
Since 2008, he has been living in exile and all these years Tarique has helped his mother run BNP from the UK.
The Jamaat-e-Islami is seeing a surge in youth support. The National Citizen Party is positioning itself as the only true heir of the 2024 revolution.
The rising competition and flex had lifted the spirit of general elections in Bangladesh.
BNP– the frontrunner
According to various opinion polls it was found that BNP is the only sole runner. A December poll by a US-based non-profit, the International Republican Institute, shows the BNP leading with 30 per cent support followed by the Jamaat-e-Islami at 26 per cent.
The B.N.P is pulling out all the stops for Tarique Rahman’s homecoming. Party offices spruced up and Gulshan residence ready.
The question lingers around it that Will the return from exile help Tarique to deliver a hero stunt? Can he unite a nation with worsening political turmoil?
The Chatham House article quotes Naomi Hossain, a professor of Development Studies at SOAS University of London, as saying that the most likely outcome does seem to be that the BNP will win and that the Jamaat-e-Islami party will be the main opposition”.
It was the BNP and its allies that had pressured the interim govt for early elections, despite strong opposition from several quarters. Politics can be an unpredictable stream but national security cannot be put into stake. Reforms are incomplete and trust in the political process remains fragile.
The result of the general election will mark a new chapter for the nation providing a deep rooted trajectory neutralising the spike in political temperature.
End of Article
