Tarique Rahman files nomination for Dhaka-17 in Bangladesh elections

December 29, 2025

Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Executive Chairman Tarique Rahman, who recently returned to the country after 17 years of self-exile, has filed his nomination papers to contest the upcoming 13th Bihar Assembly elections from the Dhaka-17 constituency. Party leaders submitted these documents on Monday at the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner’s office in Segunbagicha, as reported by the Daily Star.

Nominations filed by BNP leaders

Abdus Salam, advisor to the BNP chairperson, and Farhad Halim Donar, chief advisor to the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), submitted the nomination papers on behalf of Tarique Rahman. These documents were received from him on Sunday.

On Saturday, Tarique registered as a voter in the Dhaka-17 constituency, after which senior BNP leaders encouraged him to contest the election.

Return from exile and political comeback

Tarique Rahman, who returned from exile after 17 years abroad, arrived in Dhaka on December 25 with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman. They arrived on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from London. His return to the country is being considered a historic political event since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the July uprising last year.

Tariq expressed his gratitude for the welcome, saying, “I will never forget the warmth of your welcome, the sea of ​​faces on the streets of Dhaka, and the blessings of millions of people. Words cannot fully express the respect and love I and my family feel upon this return home.”

BNP leadership from abroad

Tariq Rahman was arrested during the military-backed caretaker government of 2007–08 and moved to London after his release. In 2018, after former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was jailed in the Zia Orphanage Trust case, he was appointed acting president of the BNP.

For the past seven years, he led the party from abroad via video call. After the change of power on August 5 last year, he was acquitted of several cases filed during the Awami League era, paving the way for his return to the country and rejoining political activities.