Tarique Rahman starts BNP election campaign with Sylhet visit

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman is set to begin his party’s election campaign with a two-day tour of Sylhet, starting tonight (Wednesday). This marks the formal launch of BNP’s campaign for the 13th national parliamentary election, following the party’s long-held tradition.

According to BNP Election Steering Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin, Tarique Rahman will arrive in Sylhet by air at 8:15pm. After reaching the city, he will visit the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) late at night and offer fateha there.

At a press briefing in Gulshan, Mahdi shared details of the tour. On Thursday morning, Tarique Rahman will address his first election rally at the Sylhet Alia Madrasa ground.

Later that day, he will speak at a rally at Ainpur playground in Moulvibazar Sadar upazila. On the way, he will also join a rally at the proposed new Upazila Parishad ground in Shayestaganj upazila of Habiganj.

The BNP Chairman will then travel to Brahmanbaria to address a rally at Kuttapara Football Ground in Sarail upazila. In the afternoon, he will attend another rally at Bhairab Stadium in Kishoreganj.

While returning to Dhaka, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to join roadside election rallies in the Narsingdi municipal area and later at the Araihazar–Rupganj Gausia area in Narayanganj. He is expected to return to his Gulshan residence late at night.

Mahdi said BNP has officially informed the district administrations, returning officers, police, and other authorities in all the concerned districts about the tour.

He also said BNP will launch its official election theme song at 12:01am on January 22 at Lakeshore Hotel in Dhaka. The song will be unveiled by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, along with other party leaders.

During the Sylhet tour, Tarique Rahman will be accompanied by senior and young party leaders from different wings of BNP, as a gesture of respect for their roles and sacrifices in the party’s long political movement.

Mahdi described the February 12 election as a crucial moment for the country and urged all political parties to conduct peaceful and fair campaigns by following the election code of conduct.

He also said Tarique Rahman plans to campaign in the Chattogram region after finishing the Sylhet tour, with details to be announced later.

BNP leaders noted that Sylhet has historic importance for the party. BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia both began their election campaigns from Sylhet. Following that tradition, Tarique Rahman is also starting his campaign from the city.