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Published : 23 Jan 2026, 12:40 PM
Late BNP chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia had been nominated in three constituencies for the 13th national parliamentary election. At the time the party announced her candidacy, she was critically ill and undergoing treatment at a hospital, raising concerns about her health.
Under the circumstances, the BNP also named “alternative” candidates in the three seats. They were: Morshed Milton, Upazila BNP president and former Upazila Parishad chairman for in Bogura-7 (Gabtali and Shahjahanpur); former municipal mayor Jahangir Alam for Dinajpur-3 (Sadar); and Rafiqul Islam Majnu for Feni-1 (Sadar).
Khaleda Zia passed away on Dec 30 at a private hospital in Dhaka. Her death immediately sparked debate over the fate of the candidacies in those seats. The Election Commission later said, citing electoral law, that since she died before scrutiny—meaning before her candidature became valid—no fresh election schedule would be required.
Subsequently, the three “alternative” candidates became the BNP’s official nominees with the party symbol, the paddy sheaf. They collected their symbols from the returning officers on Wednesday and began formal campaigning on Thursday.
BOGURA-7
Bogura, the birthplace of late president Ziaur Rahman, has been known as a BNP stronghold since the party’s inception.
Former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia had been contesting elections from two Bogura seats since 1991—Bogura-6 (Sadar) and Bogura-7 (Gabtali and Shahjahanpur)—and never lost in either constituency. In fact, Khaleda has never lost any parliamentary election in her career.
Of the past 12 elections in Bogura-7, the BNP won six times (five of them by Khaleda Zia), the Jatiya Party three times, the Awami League twice, and an independent candidate (backed by the BNP) once.
Khaleda retained Bogura-6 four times, leaving Bogura-7 vacant for others.
In Bogura-7, among four victories, Moudud Ahmed won once in a 2008 by-election, while BNP Advisory Council Member Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu won the other three times—in 1991, June 1996 and 2001.
Due to her conviction, Khaleda could not contest the 11th national election in 2018. At that time, the BNP, for strategic reasons, announced multiple candidates in some seats.
In Bogura-7, Milton, then president of Gabtali Upazila BNP, was named as the BNP candidate. However, the Election Commission cancelled his nomination, leaving the BNP without a candidate in that seat in the 2018 election. The party instead backed independent candidate Rezaul Karim Babul, who went on to win.
This time, the BNP has again nominated Milton in Bogura-7.
Milton has been involved in BNP politics since his student days and served as an elected public representative for nearly two decades. He has been arrested and jailed multiple times.
Bogura Chhatra Dal General Secretary MR Hasan Palash, a close associate of Milton, said Milton held various positions in the Chhatra Dal and was elected president of Gabtali Upazila Chhatra Dal in 1988.
After student politics, he became organisational secretary of the Gabtoli Upazila BNP, later its general secretary and then president. He also serves as a vice-president of the district BNP.
Milton was elected mayor of Gabtoli municipality three times and served once as Upazila chairman. During the Awami League government, he faced 70 cases.
FENI-1
Khaleda Zia’s ancestral home is in Feni. In Feni-1 (Fulgazi, Parshuram and Chhagalnaiya), the responsibility of submitting her nomination papers was entrusted to Rafiqul Alam Majnu, convenor of BNP’s Dhaka South City unit.
Over the past 50 years—from 1973 to 2023—BNP candidates have been elected from this constituency most of the time.
Known as a BNP stronghold, Feni-1 elected Khaleda Zia as a member of parliament five times. Ahead of every election, the slogan “Feni’s daughter Khaleda, our pride” would echo in the area.
Khaleda Zia was elected from this seat in the elections of 1991, 1996, June 1996, 2001 and 2008. After she vacated the seat following the 2001 election, her younger brother Sayeed Iskandar won the by-election.
The BNP boycotted the 2014 election. In 2018, Khaleda Zia could not contest the seat due to her conviction, and Rafiqul Islam Majnu was nominated instead. He has again been made the BNP candidate this time.
DINAJPUR-3 SEAT
After the partition of India in 1947, Khaleda’s family moved from India to Dinajpur. Although her childhood and education were spent in Dinajpur town, she never contested an election from there.
Her elder sister, Khurshid Jahan Haque, contested from Dinajpur-3 in the 1996 and 2001 elections.
Of the 12 parliamentary elections held so far, the BNP won the seat in 1979, 1996 and 2001. In 1979, Rezwanul Haque Idu Chowdhury won as the BNP candidate for the first time. Khurshid Jahan Haque won the following two elections.
This time, the BNP has nominated a seasoned party leader, former municipal mayor Syed Jahangir Alam.
Jahangir Alam launched his political career with Chhatra Dal in the 1980s. After serving in various organisational roles, he became president of the district unit and later served for a long time as convenor of the district unit of the Swecchasebak Dal.
He later served as BNP’s Rangpur divisional assistant organising secretary and is currently a member of the party’s central executive committee.
During thw Awami League's rule, Jahangir Alam won the Dinajpur municipality mayoral election three consecutive times.
He was first arrested during the Ershad regime as an accused in a political murder case while active in Chhatra Dal. Later, during Awami League governments, he was jailed four more times.
Among those, he was arrested in corruption cases while serving as mayor, but was acquitted in every case.
