Dhaka: Reza Kibria, the son of the late Awami League leader and former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria, has formally joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) today. He made this official move at the BNP Chairperson's office located in Gulshan, Dhaka.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the joining ceremony occurred at 11:00 am with notable attendees including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed. During the event, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir welcomed Reza Kibria to the BNP, expressing pride and extending congratulations on behalf of the party's Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Reza Kibria is set to contest the upcoming national parliamentary election from the Habiganj-1 constituency under the BNP's Sheaf of Paddy symbol. The BNP has declared candidates for 237 seats, with the Habiganj-1 seat remaining vacant for Reza Kibria's candidacy.
In the previous 11th National Parliamentary Election in 2018, Reza Kibria ran for the same seat using the Sheaf of Paddy symbol as a candidate for the BNP's coalition partner, Jatiya Oikya Front. Before the 2018 election, he joined Gono Forum and ascended to the position of General Secretary. The party later split into two factions, leading him to co-found the Gono Odhikar Parishad with Nurul Haque Nur, where he served as Convenor.
The Gono Odhikar Parishad also experienced a division, prompting Reza Kibria to become the founding convenor of the splinter group Amjanatar Dal.