BNP is going to form the government for the fourth time after 20 years with an absolute majority in the 13th National Parliament election. Out of the 299 seats, the party’s candidates with the ‘Sheaf of Rice’ symbol have won 175 seats in the unofficial results so far. On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami candidates have won 56 seats. In addition, the Jatiya Nagorik Party has won 6 seats and independent and other party candidates have won 11 seats. The results of the remaining 42 seats are still under process.

Top leaders win BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has won Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6 constituencies by a huge margin. On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has won Dhaka-15 constituency.

The history of BNP’s power The last time BNP formed a government in the 2001 parliamentary elections was when it won an absolute majority. On October 28, 2006, the then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia submitted her resignation to the President. Earlier, this party, founded by the late President Ziaur Rahman, was taken to the peak of popularity by former Prime Minister and Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. After leading the anti-dictatorship movement against Ershad on the streets for 9 years, she won the 1991 elections and served as the country’s first female Prime Minister. In addition, BNP formed a government for a short time in 1996.

Tarique Rahman’s inauguration and leadership The BNP had previously announced that current chairman Tarique Rahman would be the country’s next prime minister if the party came to power. This was his first time participating in the national elections and won both Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6 constituencies.

Tarique Rahman returned to the country on November 25 last year after ending his 17-year exile and was included in the voter list on November 27. According to the BNP website and media cell, he became active in politics during the anti-Ershad movement in the 1980s. His formal political journey began in 1988 as a member of the Gabtoli Upazila BNP in Bogra. In 1993, he entered grassroots politics by introducing the culture of leader election through secret ballot in Bogra. He was elected the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General in 2002 and Senior Vice Chairman in 2009. After Begum Khaleda Zia was imprisoned in 2018, he took over as the acting chairman of the party and led the simultaneous movement against the Awami League government.

It is worth noting that BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away on December 30. Then, on January 9, the party’s standing committee formally recognized Tarique Rahman as its chairman.

Parliamentary equation: To form a government in Bangladesh, a minimum of 151 out of 300 parliamentary seats is required. According to unofficial results, BNP has single-handedly crossed that number. On the other hand, this time, the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami is going to be the main opposition party in parliament for the first time. Although Jamaat was previously in the government and opposition as part of the BNP-led alliance, this is the first time they are going to get the status of the main opposition force.