Overview
- Vast crowds lined Dhaka’s streets for his arrival as roughly 4,000 army, Border Guard Bangladesh and police personnel enforced tight security with drone and photography restrictions near key sites.
- The 60-year-old BNP acting chairman is widely viewed as the leading candidate for prime minister, with a recent International Republican Institute survey indicating the BNP could win the most seats.
- The return occurred during renewed unrest following the fatal shooting of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, which saw arson attacks on outlets seen as pro-India and stones thrown at India’s mission in Chattogram.
- With the Awami League barred from the ballot, the election landscape now pits the BNP against Jamaat-e-Islami and newer protest-born groups under an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
- After a reception, Rahman was scheduled to visit his critically ill mother Khaleda Zia at Evercare Hospital, and party officials outlined plans for him to complete voter registration formalities this week.