BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman will visit Sylhet on 22 January, where he will pay respects at the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Shah Paran (RA).
According to the schedule, he will formally launch the election campaign from Sylhet ahead of the 13th parliamentary election slated for 12 February.
Tarique is set to deliver his first campaign speech that afternoon at a party rally at the Alia Madrasa ground, where he will also introduce all BNP-nominated candidates from the Sylhet division.
After leaving Sylhet in the evening, the BNP chief will return to Dhaka by road, while participating in election rallies and roadside meetings at several locations en-route.
As part of the programme, he will address an election rally for Nurul Islam Nurul at Balur Math in the Sunamganj-4 constituency, speak at meetings in Sunamganj-3 at Shantiganj for M Qais Ahmad and in Sunamganj-5 at Gobindaganj Bazar for Kalimuddin Ahmad Milon, address a rally at Lamakaji Bazar in Sylhet-2 for Tahsina Rushdi Luna, and speak at a roadside meeting in Sylhet-3 for Abdul Malek.
He is also expected to speak at election roadside meetings in Moulvibazar and Sreemangal.
While exchanging greetings with senior journalists at a Dhaka hotel on Saturday, Tarique Rahman said, “An election is ahead. I am a member of a political party. Naturally, from 22 January, we will go to the people with all our plans.”
However, he did not elaborate further on the campaign.
According to the election schedule, 20 January is the last date for the withdrawal of nomination papers, while election symbols will be allocated on 21 January. Formal campaigning will begin from 22 January.
Traditionally, BNP starts its election campaign by visiting the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) ahead of parliamentary elections, and there will be no exception this time.
Earlier, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said after a meeting in Sylhet that the party’s chairman would visit the city on 22 January and formally begin election campaigning through visits to the shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Shah Paran (RA).
He said previous BNP campaigns had also begun in Sylhet.
Meanwhile, following an emergency meeting of the BNP Standing Committee at the party chairperson’s office in Gulshan on the night of 9 January, it was announced that Tarique Rahman’s northern region tour had been postponed.
At the same meeting, the Standing Committee unanimously assigned him the responsibilities of party chairman.
In the upcoming parliamentary election, Tarique Rahman will contest from Bogura-6 as well as Dhaka-17 constituencies. He has submitted nomination papers in both seats, and both nominations have been declared valid.
It is learnt that after launching the campaign from Sylhet, he will seek votes from the people of Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17. His northern region tour will centre on Bogura-6, during which he is expected to visit at least 12 or 13 districts.
During the tour, he will pay respects at the grave of Maulana Hamid Khan Bhashani in Tangail, attend a doa mahfil for Khaleda Zia in Bogura, and visit the graves of those martyred in the July 2024 mass uprising in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Rangpur, where he will also speak with bereaved family members.
The Dhaka-17 parliamentary constituency comprises wards 15, 18, 19 and 20 of Dhaka North City Corporation and the Dhaka Cantonment police station area, covering Gulshan, Banani, Niketan, Mohakhali, Baridhara, Shahjadpur and parts of the Dhaka Cantonment.
He is expected to begin campaigning in these areas soon, and a sub-committee has been formed to oversee the campaign. He is expected to seek votes directly from voters.
Meanwhile, following the allocation of election symbols on 21 January, Election Commission has urged all concerned, including contesting candidates, to conduct campaigns in line with the election code of conduct.
Campaigning must end 48 hours before polling begins on 12 February.
