BNP Leader and Khaleda Zia’s Son Tarique Rahman to Return Home After 26 Years As Bangladesh Gears Up for Elections

In a major political development, Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and elder son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has announced that he will soon return to Bangladesh after 26 years in self-exile to contest the upcoming national elections.

His decision to return came after the interim Bangladesh government led by Muhammad Yunus declared that the next parliamentary elections will be held in February 2026, the first nationwide election since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year.

In an interview with BBC, Rahman clearly indicated that the BNP intends to contest the February 2026 parliamentary polls. He said, "For some reasonable reasons, my return has not happened... but the time has come, and I will return soon. I am running in the election (as well)."

Homecoming After 26 Years

58-year-old leader Rahman left Bangladesh in 2008 citing health concerns and amid multiple criminal and graft cases against him. One major case filed against him is a 2004 grenade attack targeting then-opposition leader Sheikh Hasina.

Despite his stay away from the Bangladesh, Rahman has always served as the de facto head of the BNP. He has been spearheading the strategies of his party since long from abroad.

Now the return of Tarique Rahman is expected to energise the BNP loyalists and reshape the country’s political equation ahead of the elections in the absence of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, which was dissolved by the Yunus-led administration following 2024 violent mass protests.

With the Awami League out of the race, the BNP has emerged as the primary political force, while its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami has transformed into a key rival.

Tarique Rahman To Be The Next Bangladesh Prime Minister?

Tarique Rahman's potential candidacy in the upcoming Bangladesh elections has fueled speculation that he could become the next Prime Minister if his party secures victory reviving Khaleda Zia's political legacy. When asked whether he would take charge of the top post if Bangladesh Nationalist Party secures majority in the elections, Rahman replied, “The people will deci