Television actress Rukaiya Jahan Chamak has failed to secure a place on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) final list for reserved women’s seats in parliament, despite completing all stages of the nomination process.
The party announced its final panel of 36 candidates on Monday, which was confirmed at a press briefing held at the BNP central office in Nayapaltan, Dhaka, by party leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. Chamak’s absence from the list has since drawn attention and discussion within political and entertainment circles.
Chamak had collected nomination papers and also appeared before the BNP nomination board for an interview. She had recently hinted at a “new journey” on social media, which fuelled speculation among her supporters about a possible political role. However, she was ultimately not selected.
Several other figures from the entertainment industry also applied for nomination, including singers Kanak Chapa and Baby Naznin, but none were included in the final selection.
Chamak came into the spotlight during the July 2024 movement, where she was seen taking a vocal stance and was widely associated with youth activism. Although not previously active in formal party politics, she had recently aligned herself with BNP, which further increased public interest in her political prospects.
