Tarique in Sylhet to kick off election campaign

SYLHET, Jan 21: BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman arrived in Sylhet on Wednesday night to start his party's campaign for the 13th General election and Referendum, scheduled to be held on February 12.

He first visited the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and offered prayers and spent some time at the shrine before proceeding to his in-laws' residence, marking his first visit there in 22 years.

The BNP chief arrived at Sylhet Osmani International Airport at 8:00 pm on Bangladesh Biman flight BG-2075 from Dhaka, accompanied by his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, daughter Barrister Zaima Rahman, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Sylhet-1 candidate Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, and other central and local leaders, according to BNP Media Cell member Shairul Kabir Khan.
He, later, visited the grave of late General (Retd) MAG Osmani, commander-in-Chief of the Liberation War, at 9:30 pm.

From there, he went to his in-laws' ancestral home in Biraimpur village of Dakshin Surma upazila, and paid respects at the graves of deceased family members. A milad mahfil was held in memory of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and other family members, followed by the distribution of shirni.

On Thursday morning, Tarique Rahman will meet non-political youth at a local hotel. The city was adorned with lights, arches, and banners in celebration of his visit.

BNP leaders described the Sylhet campaign as the beginning of victory, emphasizing that party unity and public support will help form the government in the upcoming elections. Local activists carried out mass outreach, distributing leaflets and holding road meetings, noting a strong response from the people.

After visiting the shrine, Tarique Rahman offered Nafal prayers at 9:05 pm. His first election rally will be held on Thursday at Sylhet Alia Madrasa ground. From there, he will address seven consecutive rallies across the country, including locations in Sherpur, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi, and Narayanganj.

Ahead of his arrival, a large cooking arrangement was made at his in-laws' home, locally known as the "Minister's House," with 40 large pots of akhni prepared under the supervision of Nasir Ali Khan, Zubaida Rahman's cousin.

Tarique Rahman and Dr Zubaida Rahman were married on February 3, 1994. He previously visited the house in 2004 after inaugurating a poverty alleviation program in Silam Union, making this his second visit in 21 years.