Dhaka, Dec 29 : Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman submitted his nomination papers on Monday for the upcoming elections.
The papers were filed around 12:00 pm on Monday at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in Segunbagicha, the Daily Star reported.
Abdus Salam, BNP chairperson’s adviser, accompanied by Professor Dr Farhad Halim Donar, chief adviser of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), submitted the nomination on Rahman’s behalf.
Rahman will contest the February 12 election from the Dhaka-17 constituency. Today is the final day for the submission of nomination papers for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
Speaking at a briefing, Salam expressed gratitude to all, saying city residents warmly welcomed Rahman after 17 years in exile.
He added that they expect the people of Dhaka-17 to spontaneously cast their votes for him in the February 12 election.
On Sunday, Bangladesh’s Election Commission approved the inclusion of Rahman in the voter list weeks ahead of the polls.
A day earlier, the 60-year-old leader of the BNP visited the Election Commission (EC) office here and provided fingerprints and iris scans for biometric enrollment. He had earlier submitted his voter registration application online.
Son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Rahman, and his daughter Zamia completed all necessary procedures for voter registration and the issuance of a National Identity Card (NID) at the EC on Saturday.
Now, after inclusion in the voter list, a new NID number will be generated for him and his daughter.
Bangladesh first introduced a voter list with photographs and biometric data in 2008. Rahman, who was a political prisoner then, left for London on September 11, 2008, after his release. As the BNP leader was abroad at the time, he was not included in the voter list.
Ending his self-exile of 17 years, the BNP leader returned to Bangladesh from London on December 25 to take over the reins of his party even as his mother, Khaleda Zia, is in “extremely critical” condition at a Dhaka hospital. (PTI)
