Mirza Fakhrul Breaks Down in Tears Ahead of Presidential Election, Urges BNP MPs to Back Him
BNP’s presidential candidate seeks party MPs’ votes as Tarique Rahman urges unity and discipline ahead of local government polls
BNP’s presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir broke down in tears several times during an emotional farewell speech at a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group on Wednesday, as he prepared to leave his role in the party ahead of Thursday’s presidential election.
Fakhrul, the BNP’s immediate past secretary general, sought prayers from party leaders and lawmakers and urged the party’s Members of Parliament (MPs) to vote for him in the presidential election.
BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman also called on the party’s lawmakers to support Fakhrul’s candidacy. He described Thursday’s presidential election as important and urged MPs to maintain unity and discipline within the party.
The BNP parliamentary party meeting was held in the ruling party meeting room at the National Parliament Building. Tarique Rahman chaired the meeting, which began at around 2pm and lasted for about an hour and a half.
Fakhrul becomes emotional during farewell
According to several MPs who attended the meeting, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni opened the proceedings with a welcome speech. He briefed lawmakers on the voting procedure for the presidential election and urged them to vote for Mirza Fakhrul.
Moni also informed the MPs that the presidential election would take place on Thursday and that Fakhrul himself would cast a ballot.
If Fakhrul is elected president and assumes office, his Thakurgaon-3 parliamentary seat will become vacant.
After the chief whip’s remarks, Fakhrul stood to address the meeting. MPs present said he became emotional at the very beginning of his speech and broke down in tears several times.
During his brief remarks, Mirza Fakhrul recalled the former BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, and expressed his gratitude to her. He also paid tribute to BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman and thanked BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Fakhrul reflected on his long political career within the BNP, recalling the responsibilities he held as senior joint secretary general, acting secretary general and secretary general.
He said he was sorry if he had made mistakes while carrying out his responsibilities or had unintentionally hurt anyone’s feelings.
Fakhrul also pledged to uphold the honors and responsibilities entrusted to him by the party.
He said he would protect the honour given to him even at the cost of his life and would not compromise on the country’s independence and sovereignty.
Fakhrul seeks prayers from BNP lawmakers
Fakhrul told the meeting that he would miss his colleagues after moving to Bangabhaban if elected president.
He then sought the prayers of party leaders and MPs and appealed to the lawmakers to vote for him in Thursday’s election.
Several MPs said Fakhrul broke down in tears four or five times during his few-minute speech. His emotional remarks created a sombre atmosphere inside the meeting, with Tarique Rahman also becoming emotional, according to those present.
The speech marked a significant moment for Mirza Fakhrul, who is expected to leave the BNP parliamentary party meetings if he is elected president and takes office.
Tarique Rahman stresses party unity
After Fakhrul’s speech, Tarique Rahman addressed the parliamentary party meeting.
Calling the day historic, Tarique said the BNP had reached its current position after paying a heavy political price. He expressed gratitude to Allah for the party’s progress.
Tarique said that if the country’s democratic process continued, accountability would eventually be established across the state. He stressed that accountability was essential to governing the country.
Referring to Fakhrul’s long association with the BNP, Tarique praised his role during difficult periods for the party.
He said Fakhrul had remained with the party for many years and had shown courage during challenging times. According to Tarique, Mirza Fakhrul never gave up and was imprisoned during the party’s difficult period.
Tarique also acknowledged that he had been living abroad during that period.
The BNP chairman again urged MPs to vote for Fakhrul in Thursday’s presidential election and stressed the importance of maintaining unity and discipline.
Warning over local government elections
Tarique also turned his attention to the upcoming local government elections, warning party lawmakers about organisational challenges.
According to people who attended the meeting, he said a gap was developing in some areas between MPs and the party’s grassroots-level organisation. He urged lawmakers to take steps to prevent such a distance from growing.
Tarique stressed that maintaining organisational unity would be particularly important during the upcoming local government elections.
The elections are expected to be contested without party symbols, making the process more challenging for the BNP, he said.
He recalled that the party had faced difficulties during the last parliamentary election when multiple candidates contested against party nominees.
Tarique urged BNP leaders to begin preparations immediately to ensure that no one contests against candidates supported by the party in the local government elections.
Focus on acceptable local candidates
Tarique also emphasised the importance of selecting candidates who are considered acceptable and qualified at the local level.
He called on party leaders to identify suitable candidates and work to ensure their victory in the upcoming local government elections.
His message placed particular emphasis on organisational discipline and preventing internal competition from weakening party-backed candidates.
The BNP parliamentary party meeting therefore combined two major developments for the party: Fakhrul’s emotional farewell ahead of a potentially historic transition to the presidency and Tarique Rahman’s warning to lawmakers to preserve unity as the party prepares for local elections.
BNP leaders attend parliamentary party meeting
Several senior BNP leaders and lawmakers attended the meeting.
Among them were BNP Standing Committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmood, Selima Rahman and AZM Zahid Hossain.
The presidential election is scheduled for Thursday. Fakhrul’s election would mark his departure from his current role in the BNP parliamentary party and create a vacancy in the Thakurgaon-3 constituency once he assumes the presidency.
For the BNP, the meeting also served as a reminder of the organisational challenges ahead, with Tarique Rahman calling for discipline, coordination between lawmakers and grassroots leaders, and careful candidate selection before the local government elections.
