Tarique Rahman to hold rallies in 6 districts on the first day of election campaigning

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is set to begin its official campaign for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election from Sylhet. Party chairman Tarique Rahman will join rallies in six districts on the very first day. The districts are Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi and Narayanganj.

Official campaigning for the national election, scheduled for 12 February, will begin tomorrow, Thursday, after the allocation of election symbols to candidates.

The BNP announced the party chairperson’s campaign schedule at a press conference today, Wednesday.

At the press conference held at the BNP’s central election steering committee office in Gulshan-2 of the capital, committee spokesperson and party chairperson’s adviser Mahdi Amin said that Tarique Rahman would fly to Sylhet tonight. After reaching there, he will visit the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) later that night.

Tarique Rahman will formally launch his election campaign on Thursday morning by joining a rally at the Sylhet Alia Madrasah ground. At noon, he will attend another rally at Sherpur Ainpur playground in Moulvibazar Sadar upazila. On the way, he will also take part in a rally at the proposed new upazila parishad ground in Shayestaganj upazila of Habiganj district.

Later in the afternoon, he will join rallies at Kuttapara football field in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria district and at Bhairab Stadium in Kishoreganj. From there, he will attend a rally near the Narsingdi municipal park and then join another rally in either Araihazar or Rupganj’s Gausia area in Narayanganj district.

After campaigning in six districts, the BNP chairperson will return to Dhaka on Thursday night.

The press conference said that relevant district administrations, returning officers, police and other authorities in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Narsingdi, Narayanganj and Dhaka had been informed in advance of the tour schedule through official letters.

Mahdi Amin said that, respecting the election commission’s request, several planned visits—such as paying respects at the graves of Shaheed Abu Sayeed, Shaheed Wasim Akram, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, and Tarique Rahman’s grandmother—had earlier been cancelled, as large public gatherings were assumed around those visits.

The press conference also said that, as part of recognising the sacrifices of grassroots leaders during the long anti-fascist movement, top leaders of the party’s affiliated and associate organisations will gradually accompany Tarique Rahman on his tours.

During the Sylhet visit, those accompanying him will include Abdul Qadir Bhuiyan Jewel, Mamun Hasan, Abdul Monayem Munna, Kazi Rawnakul Islam Shraban, Yasin Ferdous Murad and Rakibul Islam Rakib, among several young leaders.

At the very start of the election campaign, the BNP is set to unveil its election “theme song.”

Mahdi Amin said the theme song would be launched at 12:01am Thursday at the Lakeshore Hotel in Dhaka by the party’s senior joint secretary general and member secretary of the central election steering committee, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.

Party leaders, including the committee’s chief coordinator Ismail Zabihullah, will be present at the event, he added.

Regarding the upcoming 12 February parliamentary election, Mahdi Amin said the BNP expects a fair, free and acceptable electoral environment.

He called on all political parties to adhere to the election code of conduct and to ensure tolerance and coexistence during the campaign period.