Dhaka, Nov. 4 -- With its sights set on a long-awaited return to power after nearly two decades in the wilderness, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has unveiled its preliminary list for 237 constituencies in the general election -- with roughly a third of those nominations going to first-time candidates.

The announcement signals not just electoral intent, but a strategic balancing act between seasoned veterans and a surge of new faces.

In a move that swept away lingering uncertainty, the BNP confirmed that its ailing Chairperson Khaleda Zia, long absent from frontline politics, has been nominated in three key constituencies: Feni-1, Bogura-7, and Dinajpur-3.

Her exiled son and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is set to contest the ...