Following the overwhelming victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the 13th national parliamentary elections, a growing crowd of party leaders and supporters has gathered outside the BNP office in Gulshan, Dhaka. Many have brought flowers to personally congratulate the party chairman, Tarique Rahman.
Among them is Didar Alam, who travelled from Belab, Narsingdi. Holding a red rose, he has been waiting since early morning to greet Tarique Rahman. Alam, 25, an electrician by profession and a modest party supporter with no official position, left for Dhaka last night upon hearing news of the party’s historic victory.
“I came to congratulate Tarique Rahman. I’ve been waiting since 7 a.m. with a friend. I don’t know if I’ll get to hand him the rose, but I’ll wait and see,” he said.
The scene at the Gulshan office from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. shows the number of supporters increasing steadily. Early in the morning, only a few party leaders were present, but by late morning, a sizeable crowd had gathered, sharing stories, taking photographs, and celebrating the victory with joy and excitement. Some took pictures making the ‘V’ sign for victory, including young leader Nipun Chandra Pal from Gulshan Thana’s Jubo Dal. He said, “After over a month of tireless effort, this tremendous victory has come. We never gave up, and now it feels like we have been reborn. We feel free and fearless.”
Unofficial results show that out of 300 parliamentary seats, voting was held in 299, and the BNP and its alliance candidates have won 207 seats, securing a two-thirds majority. This historic win marks the party’s return to power after nearly two decades.
