Published : 20 Mar 2026, 03:23 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 03:29 PM
Like every other class of professionals, politicians are heading back to their native villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr.
For many, the festival is not just a rare opportunity to return home after long stretches in Dhaka; it also offers a vital chance to meet local constituents and party workers.
Conversations with leaders across parties reveal that some will travel before Eid, while others will depart for their districts after Eid prayers in Dhaka.
A notable number of politicians, however, will remain in the capital to celebrate, even if temporarily.
Saiful Haque, general secretary of the Revolutionary Workers Party, said: “Most of our roots are still in the villages. Everyone wants to go home. This mindset hasn’t changed much. Some travel before Eid, some after. Those who stay in Dhaka do so partly by necessity or for leisure.”
Multiple senior leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), including ministers, deputy ministers, and MPs, are preparing for Eid in Dhaka.
On Wednesday, the party announced that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will exchange greetings at the State Guest House Jamuna at 10am on Eid day.
Shairul Kabir Khan of the BNP media cell told bdnews24.com, “Diplomats, MPs, ministers, deputy ministers, prominent citizens, religious scholars, and senior government officials will attend the greetings ceremony.”
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will celebrate Eid in Chattogram.
Another senior leader and Political Advisor to the Prime Minister Mirza Abbas is in Singapore for medical treatment.
Power Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood will celebrate in Dhaka before heading to his village home in Sirajganj.
Post-Eid prayers, senior BNP leaders will visit the graves of Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia.
Many will then travel to their native villages to exchange greetings with local party members and citizens.
Most leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami will celebrate Eid in their villages.
Party chief and Opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman will pray in his constituency Dhaka-15, exchange greetings, and then attend reunions in Sylhet and Moulvibazar over the next two days.
Other leaders will spread across Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, and other districts.
Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho will pray in Dhaka’s Baridhara.
State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki, Expatriate Welfare Minister Nurul Haque Nur, CPB President Kazi Sazzad Zahir Chandan, and others will celebrate in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis chief Mamunul Haq is in Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam President Ubaydullah Faruk will be in Deoband, India, for Eid.
Saiful Haque of the Ganatantra Mancha said, “Now, formalities dominate, and informal gossip has decreased. Most leaders exchange greetings privately with family. After the parliamentary elections, there is a sense of relief across the country.”
This marks the third Eid for Awami League leaders post-July Uprising, with some in hiding, some jailed, and others facing cases.
However, under the BNP-led government, some party members feel moderately “uplifted” compared to the previous interim administration.
