Barrister Rumeen Farhana, the unofficially declared winner of the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, has set a firm condition for her return to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP): the party must first reinstate the local activists and leaders who were expelled for supporting her campaign.
Speaking at a press conference at her residence in Shahbazpur, Sarail, on Friday afternoon, Farhana emphasized that her journey as an independent candidate was a shared sacrifice with her grassroots supporters.
“Leaving the BNP to run independently was not an easy choice for me, but my activists have endured far more difficult times. For 17 years, they have sacrificed everything, often unable to even stay in their own homes, only to face expulsion for their loyalty. If the party wants me to return, it must first welcome back every worker who was expelled on my account. I can always return to my legal profession in Dhaka, but where would my workers go? I am forever in the debt of their love.”
The unofficial results show a decisive victory for Farhana, who secured 118,547 votes. Her nearest rival, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Vice President Junaid Al Habib—running with the BNP-led alliance’s support under the ‘Date Tree’ symbol—trailed significantly with 80,434 votes.
Farhana, a former MP and Assistant International Affairs Secretary of the BNP, was expelled from the party after choosing to run as an independent when the Brahmanbaria-2 seat was allotted to an alliance partner. During her press conference, she also alleged that attempts were made to rig votes in several centers after midday and claimed there were deliberate efforts to delay the final result announcement.
