Overview
- The BNP leader returned to Dhaka on December 25 after 17 years in exile despite in-absentia convictions for money laundering and the 2004 grenade attack that killed 24 people.
- Massive crowds and a heavily secured motorcade greeted him as opponents questioned his credibility and intentions.
- The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus removed legal barriers to his homecoming, the election commission set a February 2026 election, and Yunus said he will step down after the vote.
- With the Awami League excluded from the ballot, the BNP has emerged as the only nationwide secular‑nationalist force, and a December IRI survey shows it leading.
- The contest has grown volatile as Jamaat-e-Islami consolidates and a Yunus-aligned National Citizens’ Party emerges, while Rahman stresses interfaith unity and a “Not Dilli, not Pindi” equidistance that observers say could reshape India’s calculus.