The man tipped to be the next prime minister of Bangladesh has ended months of speculation by saying he will return from two decades overseas to fight landmark elections, BBC reported.

"The time has come, God willing, I will return soon," Tarique Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's acting chairman, told BBC Bangla in his first face-to-face interview for nearly 20 years.

The BNP is the frontrunner in the vote due in February and Rahman, the son of its ailing leader, is expected to lead the country if it wins.

Many view it as one of the most consequential in Bangladesh's history after mass protests ousted three-time PM Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Her Awami League party is unlikely to be allowed to take part, according to BBC.