Dhaka, Oct 22 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Monday announced that its acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, will complete the formalities to become a registered voter on December 27, local media reported.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed made the announcement following a meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin at the Election Commission in Dhaka.
The BNP leader said Rahman is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on December 25.
“The following day is Friday, so he will complete whatever is required regarding becoming a voter, obtaining a voter ID, or a national ID on December 27," Bangladesh's Daily Star quoted Salahuddin as saying.
Rahman’s return comes at a time when the EC has announced that the country's 13th national parliamentary election, along with a referendum on the July Charter, will be held on February 12 next year.
Meanwhile, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury assured that extensive security arrangements have been put in place for the return of Rahman on December 25.
“Maximum security measures have already been taken to ensure the safe arrival of Tarique Rahman in the country,” Bangladeshi media outlet Bangla News 24 quoted the Home Advisor as saying.
Rahman, who has been leading the BNP from London and has recently been acquitted in major cases, including the August 2004 grenade attack, faces minimal legal hurdles to return.
His mother, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was admitted to a hospital in Dhaka on the night of November 23 following a medical board's advice after being diagnosed with infections affecting her heart and lungs.
She remains in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital with both local and foreign specialist doctors overseeing her treatment.
Analysts reckon that Rahman's return and participation in the February 2026 elections will test the waters amid the ongoing turbulence in Bangladesh's politics under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, which is under mounting pressure to deliver a free, fair and credible election.
Since the election schedule was announced, Bangladesh has been grappling with widespread violence. Critics warn that Rahman’s return to the volatile political landscape in Bangladesh could deepen tension across the country.
Khaleda Zia's BNP acted hand in glove with the interim government led by Yunus in overthrowing the democratically-elected Awami League government last year.
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