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Published : 12 Feb 2026, 12:22 PM
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman has expressed firm confidence in his party’s victory, saying voters will thwart any “conspiracy” through the ballot box.
He arrived at the Gulshan Model High School polling centre with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman at 9:35am on Thursday. Zaima voted for the first time.
After casting his ballot, he stepped outside the premises where local and foreign media crowded around him for comment.
“I have just exercised my constitutional right to vote,” he said. “For more than a decade, the people of Bangladesh have waited for this day. We are confident they will use their rights and usher in a democratic Bangladesh.”
Asked how optimistic he felt about the BNP’s prospects, he replied: “I am firmly hopeful.”
He added that if citizens turn out in large numbers, “any conspiracy can be resisted”.
Pressed on the BNP’s priorities in the event of victory, the leader said restoring law and order would top the agenda.
“People across the country must feel safe. Ensuring public security will be our highest priority.”
On women’s empowerment, he noted that women make up half of the population and cannot be left behind.
Referring to the party’s manifesto pledges, the chairman said a BNP-led administration would begin work on women’s advancement from day one.
Tarique voiced a broader ambition for what he described as a “democratic reset”.
“We expect that together we can begin a new democracy in Bangladesh -- something people have long hoped for. Stay well, stay healthy.”
Asked about the overall voting climate, he said he had not yet received updates from across the country.
He mentioned some “undesirable incidents” overnight but said law-enforcing agencies had dealt with them firmly.
He added that he had followed developments on television channels until the early hours.
This marks Tarique’s first ballot at the Gulshan centre. In 2001, he was registered at Adamjee School and College in Dhaka Cantonment.
