Begum Khaleda Zia, one of Bangladesh’s prominent leaders and former Prime Minister, has passed away. She had filed nomination papers from three constituencies to contest the elections just the day before.

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Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia passed away this morning (Tuesday) after a prolonged illness. However, just a day earlier, Khaleda had filed her nomination papers for the parliamentary elections. On the last day for submitting nomination papers, she filed from three constituencies. The country is scheduled to hold elections in February. The former Prime Minister’s eldest son and acting chairman of the BNP, Tarique Rahman, has also filed nomination papers for two seats.

Begum Khaleda Zia and the party’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, submitted their papers for a total of five parliamentary seats in the country’s 13th National Parliamentary elections. Yesterday, Monday, was the last day for submitting nomination papers, and Khaleda’s papers were submitted to the respective returning officer’s office. Tarique Rahman has filed his candidacy from two constituencies. The parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held on February 12.

Alternative candidate due to illness
The local newspaper Dhaka Tribune reported that Tarique Rahman’s nomination papers for the Dhaka-17 seat were submitted yesterday to the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner and Returning Officer by BNP Chairperson’s advisor Abdus Salam, Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP convener Aminul Haque, and DAB chief advisor Professor Farhad Halim. He also filed his candidacy from his ancestral constituency, Bogura-6 (Sadar).

Besides Rahman, nomination papers were also submitted for his mother and former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia, from three constituencies. Her nomination papers for the Feni-1 seat were submitted to the District Returning Officer’s office by BNP Vice Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo and election coordinator Munshi Rafiqul Alam. It was also stated that an alternative candidate had been kept ready considering Khaleda’s illness.

Khaleda’s Signature Claimed on Nomination Papers
Besides the Feni-1 seat, nomination papers were also filed on Monday on behalf of Khaleda Zia for the Bogura-7 (Gabtali-Shahjahanpur) and Dinajpur-3 (Sadar) constituencies. While submitting the nomination papers, former Prime Minister’s advisor Hilaluzzaman Talukdar Lalu said that Khaleda Zia is currently hospitalized due to illness, and she herself signed the nomination papers.

Khaleda Zia was the country’s first female Prime Minister. Although several corruption cases were filed against her, she consistently maintained that they were politically motivated. Earlier this year, in January 2025, the Supreme Court acquitted her in the last remaining corruption case against her. This decision cleared the way for her to contest the general elections scheduled for February of the following year. However, she passed away after filing her nomination papers.

Former PM Khaleda was last seen on November 21st of last month at an annual event of the Bangladesh Army in Dhaka Cantonment, where she was in a wheelchair and appeared unwell. She is survived by her elder son, Tarique Rahman, while her younger son, Arafat, passed away 10 years ago in 2015.