Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday submitted his nomination papers for the upcoming national elections, marking his formal entry into the February 12 contest after returning to the country from a 17-year exile.

The nomination papers were filed around 12:00 pm at the office of the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner in Segunbagicha, the Daily Star reported.

Abdus Salam, adviser to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, accompanied by Professor Dr Farhad Halim Donar, chief adviser of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), submitted the papers on Rahman’s behalf. Rahman will contest from the Dhaka-17 constituency.

Monday was the final day for submitting nomination papers for the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Speaking at a briefing, Salam expressed gratitude to all, saying city residents warmly welcomed Rahman after 17 years in exile. He added that they expect the people of Dhaka-17 to spontaneously cast their votes for him in the February 12 election.

Rahman’s nomination comes a day after Bangladesh’s Election Commission approved his inclusion in the voter list, weeks ahead of the polls.

On Saturday, the 60-year-old BNP leader visited the EC office and provided fingerprints and iris scans for biometric enrollment, having earlier submitted his voter registration application online.

Rahman and his daughter, Zamia, completed all procedures for voter registration and issuance of National Identity Cards. Following their inclusion in the voter list, new NID numbers will be generated for both.

Bangladesh introduced a voter list with photographs and biometric data in 2008. Rahman, who was a political prisoner at the time, left for London on September 11 that year after his release and was not included in the list as he was abroad.

Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, returned to Bangladesh on December 25, ending his self-exile to take charge of the party, even as his mother remains in an “extremely critical” condition at a Dhaka hospital.