Dhaka: BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday nominated party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the BNP’s candidate for the upcoming presidential election. The announcement was made at a meeting with the party’s Standing Committee members and senior leaders held at the Prime Minister’s Office at the secretariat.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman announced the nomination decision at the start of the meeting, with BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi informing reporters of the nomination. Rizvi stated, “On behalf of the BNP, I am pleased to announce that BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has been nominated as the party’s presidential candidate.” Following the announcement, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman handed over the nomination paper to Fakhrul.

The decision was finalized just before the public announcement, during a meeting chaired by BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Rizvi confirmed that Fakhrul has resigned from his position as BNP Secretary General and from the party’s National Standing Committee to focus on the presidential race.

When questioned about the new BNP Secretary General, Rizvi mentioned that the responsibility of deciding the successor has been given to the party chairman. “Our chairman and Prime Minister has been given the responsibility. He will take opinions and let you know through the appropriate process,” Rizvi said. The meeting continued, with Tarique hosting a lunch for Standing Committee members and senior leaders.

A BNP delegation, led by Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, headed to the Election Commission to submit Fakhrul’s nomination papers, as informed by the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly. Standing Committee members including Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Nazrul Islam Khan, and others were present at the meeting. Senior leaders such as Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Khairul Kabir Khokon, and Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel also attended.

Fakhrul, aged 78, has been serving as BNP Secretary General since 2016 and is the current Local Government and Rural Development Minister. His nomination sets the stage for the presidential race ahead of the August 20 election. The BNP Standing Committee had previously entrusted Tarique Rahman with the task of finalizing the party’s presidential candidate.