Is BNP's Tarique Rahman the change post-Hasina Bangladesh is looking for?

"It was almost midnight, but tens of thousands of people were still gathering for a campaign rally in Gazipur, a garment manufacturing hub north of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. Many had been waiting for hours to hear Tarique Rahman, who succeeded as the chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) following the death of his mother and Bangladesh's first female prime minister, Khaleda Zia, in December."

"Since returning to Bangladesh on December 25 after nearly 17 years of exile in the United Kingdom, Rahman, 60, has been at the centre of the BNP's election campaign, which ended on Tuesday. His rallies drew large crowds, with his presence reassuring supporters of the party's revival after the arrests, internal splits, and its distance from voters during Hasina's government."

"BNP leaders saw the turnout as evidence that their party, long oppressed under 15 years of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government, was able to mobilise supporters and rebuild its strength as it seeks to return to power in the February 12 general election. Hasina's Awami League party was banned from politics last year by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, leaving the BNP a frontrunner in Thursday's vote."

Since returning to Bangladesh on December 25 after nearly 17 years in exile in the United Kingdom, Tarique Rahman has led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's election campaign and drawn large crowds at rallies. His visible presence reassured supporters after arrests, internal splits, and the party's distance from voters during Sheikh Hasina's 15-year government. Tens of thousands gathered at a Gazipur rally near Dhaka to hear him speak, demonstrating mobilisation in a garment manufacturing hub. The Awami League was banned from politics last year by the interim administration, elevating the BNP as a frontrunner. Jamaat-e-Islami allied with the National Citizen Party as the BNP's main rival.

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