AFM Reza Faez Mia, the general secretary of Bhanga municipal Awami League and former mayor of Bhanga municipality in Faridpur, announced his decision to join the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday night. The announcement came during an election courtyard meeting at BNP candidate Shahidul Islam Khan Babul’s ancestral home in Nurpur, where Reza Faez Mia urged voters to support the BNP’s paddy symbol.

According to the report, Reza Faez Mia, who resides in the United States and is known as a cousin-in-law of Sheikh Hasina, had been the subject of speculation regarding his political shift for some time. On Friday night, he joined the meeting via video call and exchanged greetings with the BNP candidate and local leaders.

During the call, his remarks were broadcast over loudspeakers by Upazila BNP president Alhaj Khondkar Iqbal Hossain Selim. Reza Faez Mia pledged his support for Shahidul Islam Khan Babul and called on all attendees to vote for the BNP candidate.