NEW DELHI: Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma met Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday, a day after the party formally elected him to the position.
The meeting, described by BNP media cell spokesperson Sayrul Kabir Khan as a “courtesy call,” lasted approximately 40 minutes.
Rahman, who has been acting chairman of the BNP since 2018, was formally elected party chief by the BNP’s policy-making Standing Committee on Friday night, January 9. His election comes 10 days after the death of his mother, former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who passed away following a prolonged illness.
The BNP has emerged as a leading force in Bangladesh’s political landscape ahead of the February 12 elections. Its traditional ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, is now seen as a principal rival.
The elections will be contested without the participation of the Awami League, the party of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which was disbanded last year by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government following a student-led street movement that toppled the government on August 5, 2024.
Rahman’s formal election consolidates his leadership of the party at a critical juncture, as Bangladesh prepares for its first post–Awami League elections under a new political landscape.