From Exile To Empowerment: Who Is Tarique Rahman? Khaleda Zia's Son And Frontrunner For Prime Ministerial Post In Bangladesh

New Delhi: Following the 2024 student-led uprising that ended Sheikh Hasina’s fifteen-year Awami League rule, Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairman Tarique Rahman is poised to become the nation's next Prime Minister after a landmark general election held this Thursday, February 12.

In the first vote since the 2024 uprising, the election emerged as a head-to-head battle between the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a resurgent 11-party alliance spearheaded by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman.

What early results show?

Early results for the ongoing vote count for Bangladesh's national parliamentary elections indicate the alliance led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged with a strong lead, securing victories in 212 constituencies. The Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance has won 70 constituencies, according to unofficial results.

Leading the pack in the majority of pre-election surveys, BNP chairman Tarique Rahman has solidified his position as the primary contender for the role of Prime Minister.

Who is Tarique Rahman?

Regarded as the frontrunner and the Bangladesh prime minister hopeful in nearly every major opinion poll, Tarique Rahman, 60, is the eldest son of two former Bangladeshi leaders- the late President Ziaur Rahman (founder of the BNP) and the late Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

After living in London for nearly 17 years in self-imposed exile, Tarique returned to Dhaka on December 25, 2025 to fight the elections. His return followed the 2024 uprising that ousted long-time rival Sheikh Hasina.

Self-imposed exile in London

Rahman served as the acting chairman of the BNP from London starting in 2018. On January 9, 2026, he was officially appointed Chairman of the party following the death of his mother, Khaleda Zia, on December 30, 2025.

According to a profile in The Guardian, associates suggest that Rahman’s years in self-imposed exile-spent in the London suburb of Kingston with his wife and daughter-have had a mellowing effect on the politician.

Left Bangladesh in 2008

Claiming political persecution, Rahman left Bangladesh for London in 2008 while facing a series of corruption charges. 

At the airport, he left a startling resignation note stating, "I, Tarique Rahman, do hereby declare that as of today, 11 September 2008, I resign the post of senior joint secretary general of the BNP and thereby, retire from active politics."

His departure followed a period of imprisonment beginning in 2007 during an anti-corruption crackdown by a military-backed caretaker government. 

Rahman has consistently denied all charges from that era. After reportedly suffering severe torture in custody, to the extent that he had to be boarded onto his flight in a wheelchair, he was eventually released to seek specialized medical treatment in the UK.

Litany of convictions

Throughout Sheikh Hasina’s fifteen-year tenure, Rahman faced a litany of convictions on terror and corruption charges, legal battles he has always maintained were politically engineered to prevent his return. 

However, following Hasina’s ouster in 2024, the judiciary systematically overturned these verdicts, clearing the legal path for his homecoming.

Academic Journey: From Dhaka to Business

Born on November 20, 1965, in Dacca, East Pakistan, modern-day Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman is the eldest son of two of Bangladesh's most prominent figures- former President Ziaur Rahman and the country’s first female Prime Minister, Khaleda Zia. 

After studying at BAF Shaheen College and pursuing degrees in Law and International Relations at Dhaka University, he left academia during his second year to venture into the private sector. 

Before his full-scale entry into politics, he established himself as an entrepreneur in the textile and shipping industries, building a business foundation that would later influence his economic policies as a political leader.

The Zia Legacy: A Political Dynasty

Tarique Rahman’s political journey began in 1988 as a primary member of the BNP's Gabtali branch in Bogra. He played a key supportive role during the 1991 elections, a pivotal moment in Bangladesh's transition from military rule to democracy, by campaigning for his mother, Khaleda Zia. 

Choosing to coordinate party strategy rather than seek office himself, he continued this influential behind-the-scenes role through the 1996 elections, focusing on managing his mother's constituencies and strengthening the party's grassroots presence in Bogra.

During his mother’s premiership in the early 2000s, Tarique Rahman rose to prominence within the BNP, later serving as a key opposition figure during the Awami League’s subsequent rule. 

Despite past controversies, including a 2008 diplomatic cable labeling him a “symbol of kleptocratic government”, Rahman’s political trajectory shifted dramatically following the 2024 uprising. 

After 17 years in exile, he returned to Dhaka on December 25, 2025, to a hero's welcome, shortly before the passing of his mother, Khaleda Zia. Officially assuming the BNP chairmanship on January 9, 2026, Rahman campaigned on a platform of democratic restoration and economic stability. 

With the BNP securing a landslide victory in the February 12, 2026, elections, Rahman is now poised to become Bangladesh’s next Prime Minister, marking the return of the Zia family to the nation's highest office.

This election is widely regarded as the first credible and free vote in the country in nearly two decades with preliminary reports show BNP's victory. Rahman himself won seats in both the Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 constituencies.

Appeal to voters

Unofficial results on Friday show Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in a strong lead as Bangladesh continues to count votes after its landmark election on Thursday.

Bangladesh ushered in its most pivotal polls as it seeks to enter into a new chapter from the classic 'Battle of Begums' era. 

The BNP's chairman, Tarique Rahman, has requested that the celebration of this victory be postponed out of respect for the passing of his mother, Khaleda Zia, before the election.

Therefore, they have called for prayers for Khaleda Zia after the Friday congregational prayer.

Also Read: BNP Secures Majority in Bangladesh Parliamentary Elections, Set to Form Government