Fakhrul tipped to be BNP’s president pick

BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is likely to be the party’s nominee for president and subsequently become the head of state, according to multiple party sources.

Party insiders said the nomination would be a reward for Fakhrul’s decades-long contribution to the BNP.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Multiple BNP sources said party Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has finalised the nomination.

A presidential candidate must consent to the nomination by signing a relevant party document or submitting a written statement. Fakhrul has signed such a statement on Saturday, the sources said.

The BNP may formally announce his candidature on Wednesday or Thursday before the deadline f submission of nomination papers ends on August 13, they added.

The party collected two nomination papers for the presidential election yesterday morning.

If Fakhrul is nominated and subsequently elected president, he would have to leave the cabinet and the BNP secretary general’s post, requiring changes in the government and party leadership.

Under an arrangement now being discussed, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed may take charge of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, currently led by Fakhrul.

Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, meanwhile, is being considered to succeed Salahuddin at the home office, according to the sources.

They stressed that the proposed changes have not formally been approved and would depend on Fakhrul eventually becoming president.

Adjustments could still be made before any final announcement, the sources said.

Senior Joint Secretary General and Prime Minister’s Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi is likely to serve as acting secretary general if Fakhrul is nominated, the sources said, adding that Rizvi would serve the party as acting secretary general until a replacement is elected by the party council.

Fakhrul’s possible elevation would mark a major change in the BNP’s leadership structure. He has been at the centre of the party’s organisational and political decision-making, particularly when former prime minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia was in jail and Tarique was in exile.

He became acting sec+retary general on March 20, 2011, and secretary general on March 30, 2016. Earlier, he was named senior joint secretary general at the BNP’s fifth national council on December 8, 2009.

Born in Thakurgaon on January 26, 1948, Fakhrul entered politics after a career in teaching.

He was elected chairman of Thakurgaon municipality in 1988 as an independent candidate and he joined the BNP in the early 1990s during the anti-Ershad movement. He became president of Thakurgaon district BNP in 1992.

Fakhrul was elected MP from Thakurgaon-1 in the 2001 parliamentary election. During the BNP-led government from 2001 to 2006, he served first as state minister for agriculture and later as state minister for civil aviation and tourism.

JAMAAT, ALLIES PICK OLI

Unlike the previous presidential polls, Fakhrul, if nominated, is not expected to be elected uncontested. The 11-party alliance has nominated Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Oli Ahmed as its candidate

Under the country’s indirect presidential election system, MPs elect the president. Parliamentary majorities have consistently ensured victory for the ruling party’s pick, as article 70 of the constitution bars lawmakers from voting against their party.

A total of 349 MPs will cast their votes in the presidential polls. The ruling BNP has 247 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, while the Jamaat-led alliance has 81. The remaining seats are held by smaller parties and independents.

Expressing gratitude, Oli said, “Whether we win or lose is not the question. We will stand for what is good for the people and to protect their interests.”

A freedom fighter and retired colonel, Oli joined the BNP in 1980 and served on its standing committee for years. He was a minister in governments led by Khaleda twice.

He won a by-election in 1980 and subsequently won the seat in Chattogram four times between 1991 and 2001 on BNP tickets.

Oli left the BNP in 2006.

He was among the founders of the LDP, which later became a part of the Awami League-led alliance.

He won the 2008 election as part of that alliance but joined a BNP-led alliance again in 2012.

In December 2025, the LDP left the BNP-led alliance following a disagreement over seat sharing.

Oli joined the Jamaat-led electoral alliance before the February 12 general election.

Following the resignation of Mohammed Shahabuddin as president on July 24, the Election Commission scheduled the election for August 20.