Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman poses for a photograph in his party office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
BNP chairman Tarique Rahman has been unofficially declared elected from Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6, according to provisional results.
In Dhaka-17, Rahman, contesting with the party’s sheaf of paddy symbol, secured 72,699 votes. His nearest rival, Dr Khaleduzzaman of Jamaat-e-Islami, who ran with the scales symbol, received 68,300 votes. Rahman won the seat by a margin of 4,399 votes.
In Bogura-6, Rahman polled 216,284 votes. His closest contender, Abidur Rahman Sohel of Jamaat-e-Islami, secured 97,626 votes. The margin of victory in the constituency was 118,658 votes.
Who is Tarique Rahman?
Tarique Rahman, 60, is projected to become Bangladesh’s next prime minister as unofficial results show his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) securing a two‑thirds majority in parliament.
He follows the political legacy of his mother, Khaleda Zia Bangladesh’s first female premier and BNP chair until her death in December and his father, General Ziaur Rahman, whose military‑rooted reputation helped shape the party before his 1981 assassination.
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Security personnel guard near the chairman office of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) before the national parliamentary election result is announced in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Rahman returned to Bangladesh at Christmas after 17 years of exile in the UK, and his large‑scale rallies have revived supporter confidence after years of crackdown under Sheikh Hasina’s government. Analysts note that his campaign speeches contained numerous factual inaccuracies, with fact‑checks of several claims widely circulated online
Khaleda Zia’s Bogura-7 back with BNP
BNP candidate Milton Morshed secured the Bogura-7 seat in a thumping victory over his Jamaat-e-Islami rival Golam Rabbani. He won 2,62,501 votes, while Rabbani raked in 1,15,184 votes. The seat was won by Khaleda Zia in every election from 1991 to 2008. Bogura-7 eventually went out of the BNP’s hands in 2014, when Zia did not contest it.
The results are yet to be formally announced by the Election Commission.
Security personnel on vehicle petrol near the chairman office of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) before the national parliamentary election result is announced in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
The BNP had fielded Khaleda Zia from the constituency again this election. At the time, Zia was in hospital. She passed away a few days before the elections and the BNP fielded its Gabtali Upazila unit president Morshed.
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Former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman was born in Bogura’s Gabtoli Upazila.
Mashkoora Khan is a journalist and sub-editor on the global desk at The Indian Express. She actively covers issues around Canada visa, immigration policy, global affairs, and international developments.
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Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman poses for a photograph in his party office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
