Who Is Tarique Rahman? BNP Leader And Zia Heir Set To Become Bangladesh's New Prime Minister

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is headed toward a major electoral comeback as early trends from Bangladesh’s general election showed the party taking a strong lead while counting remained underway.

According to early trends, the BNP had won 151 of the 350 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad. However, a separate tally by The Daily Star put the party’s seat count at 170, highlighting the evolving nature of the count.

The election marked the first national election since the 2024 student-led uprising that removed Sheikh Hasina from power after 15 years of Awami League governance. Officials said final results were expected by Friday.

The main electoral battle was between the BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, and an alliance of 11 parties headed by Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman.

By 5:30 a.m. local time Friday, projections showed the BNP comfortably crossing the 150-seat mark required for a parliamentary majority, according to AFP. Jamuna and Somoy television channels reported the party had secured as many as 197 seats.

Opinion surveys have consistently placed Rahman, the BNP chairman, among the leading contenders for the post of prime minister.

Who Is Tarique Rahman?

Tarique Rahman, 60, is the son of BNP supremo and former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia.

Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December 2025 after more than 17 years of self-imposed exile in London. He had taken over leadership of the BNP from his mother, a towering figure in Bangladeshi politics and longtime political rival of Hasina. Zia died five days after Rahman’s return home.

Rahman left Bangladesh for London in 2008 after what he described as political persecution. At the time, he was facing trial on multiple graft charges.

Rahman was jailed in 2007 during an anti-corruption drive by a military-backed caretaker government on charges he denies. In 2008, he was released to seek medical treatment in London, after being so badly tortured in jail that he was taken to the plane in a wheelchair.

During Hasina’s subsequent 15-year rule, Rahman was convicted of several terror and corruption charges, which he alleges were politically motivated to keep him out of Bangladesh. Following Hasina’s fall in 2024, courts overturned his convictions, allowing him to return home.

Early Life and Education

Rahman was born on November 20, 1965, in Dacca, East Pakistan, now Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is the eldest son of former President Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia.

He began his education at BAF Shaheen College in Dhaka. He later enrolled in the Law Department at University of Dhaka during the 1985-86 academic year before shifting to the Department of International Relations. He dropped out in his second year and went on to start a business in the textile and shipping sectors.

Political Rise

Rahman began his political journey as a primary member of the BNP’s upazila branch in Gabtali, Bogra, in 1988. He was active in BNP campaign activities during the 1991 national election, when Bangladesh transitioned from military rule to an elected government.

Following the BNP’s victory in 1991, Rahman continued party work in Bogra. During the 1996 national election, he did not contest a parliamentary seat but coordinated campaigns for constituencies his mother contested.

Rahman rose to prominence within the BNP during his mother’s tenure as prime minister in the early 2000s. Between 1996 and 2001, during the Awami League government, he was involved in opposition political activities. In the 2001 national election, the BNP secured a two-thirds majority.

On December 8, 2009, Rahman was elected Senior Vice Chairman of the BNP at its 5th National Council in Dhaka. After Hasina’s fall in August 2024, he pledged to return to Bangladesh once the cases against him were dropped and expressed support for the interim government’s reform process.

Rahman met Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus during a visit to the United Kingdom on June 13, 2025. On December 25, 2025, Rahman returned to Bangladesh with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima Rahman, ending his exile. Five days later, Khaleda Zia died after a prolonged illness.

On January 9, 2026, Rahman became chairman of the BNP.

Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections held on February 12 have reshaped the political landscape. While the Election Commission has yet to formally declare results, early counts showed Rahman and the BNP leading in key constituencies. Rahman reportedly won Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6, strengthening his position as party leader and a potential prime minister.