The returning officers on Saturday declared BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s nominations for Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6 and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s for Thakurgaon-1 valid ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election.
Confirming the development, Abdus Salam, chief election coordinator for Dhaka-17 and a member of the BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council, said he was grateful that Tarique Rahman’s nomination had been approved.
“I thank Almighty Allah that the nomination paper of acting chairman Tarique Rahman has been declared valid,” Salam told reporters.
Earlier in the day, the Returning Officer of Bogra-6 also approved Tarique's nomination. BNP Media Cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan said the decision for Bogura-6 was announced at around 10:30am.
Speaking to the media, Abdus Salam expressed confidence that voters in Dhaka-17 would elect Tarique Rahman by a large margin in the February 12 election.
Referring to the party’s history, Salam said the BNP and the Zia family had always stepped forward whenever Bangladesh faced crises. He expressed hope that the upcoming election would mark another such moment for the country.
He also voiced optimism that the 13th national parliamentary election would restore democracy through a popular mandate, enabling Bangladesh to address economic and other challenges and strengthen its democratic standing globally.
Salam called on citizens to offer prayers for the departed soul of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and for BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, and sought public support for the party’s electoral symbol, the Sheaf of Paddy.
Meanwhile, the nomination of Bangladesh Nationalist Party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for the Thakurgaon-1 constituency has also been declared valid.
District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Irshat Farzana confirmed the matter on Saturday afternoon, saying the nomination was found valid following scrutiny conducted earlier in the day.
According to the returning officer, Mirza Fakhrul submitted his nomination papers alongside Delwar Hossain, a central Majlish-e-Shura member of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and former president of Islami Chhatrashibir and Khademul Islam, vice-president of Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Thakurgaon district unit. After verification, the returning officer declared all three nominations valid.
Irshat Farzana also said a total of 21 candidates have submitted nomination papers across the three constituencies of Thakurgaon district so far.
Of these, the nomination of one candidate has been cancelled, while three nominations have been suspended. She added that the scrutiny and verification process for Thakurgaon-2 and Thakurgaon-3 constituencies is still underway.
