The post of party chairman fell vacant due to the death of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. In this context, a meeting of the National Standing Committee was held as per the BNP constitution. The meeting unanimously appointed Tarique Rahman as the BNP chairman. Through this, he assumed the responsibility as the BNP chairman as per the party constitution.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir confirmed this information at the end of an emergency meeting of the standing committee in Gulshan on Friday (January 9) night.
Incidentally, after former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia was imprisoned on February 8, 2018, Tarique Rahman was nominated as the acting chairman of BNP. Since then, the party has been practically run under his leadership. In the wake of the family's appeal in the coronavirus situation, the then Awami League government conditionally released Khaleda Zia on March 25, 2020. According to the conditions, she will not be able to engage in politics and will not be able to go abroad for medical treatment. As a result, she has stayed away from active politics.
Later, after the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising on August 5, 2024, Khaleda Zia was released on August 6 by presidential order, but she did not return to politics. She passed away on December 30 last year.