Dhaka: Vote counting started Thursday in Bangladesh’s first election since the deadly 2024 uprising, with influential political figure and BNP chairman Tarique Rahman expressing strong confidence about defeating an Islamist-backed coalition. BNP was leading in 175 seats, followed by the Jamaat in 30 till filing this report.
BNP chairman Rahman secured the Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6 constituencies, Prothom Alo reported, citing Shairul Kabir Khan of BNP's media cell.
The people of Bangladesh on Thursday witnessed one of the most significant moments in the history of their country as they voted for a mandate in an attempt to bring back their political stability, almost two years after the ousting of the earlier regime led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina back in July 2024. People queued at polling stations nationwide for the 13th Parliamentary Election and constitutional referendum, with the two major political stakeholders, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, making contrasting claims as polling concluded at 4:30 pm (local time).
BNP, despite expressing confidence of victory, alleged irregularities and attempts to suppress voter turnout. While Jamaat, speaking on behalf of the alliance, called the process "excellent" and voiced hope for a landslide win.
Addressing a press briefing at the BNP's Gulshan election office in Dhaka, BNP Election Steering Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin claimed that his party's victory was "inevitable and clear", while alleging that lower voter turnout was the result of "misleading activities" and intimidation by a rival political party, as reported by the Daily Star.
"There is a clear and huge difference between BNP and the rival political party. Attempts were made to threaten voters and discourage them from going to polling centres," Amin said, as quoted by the Daily Star, adding that turnout could have been higher in the absence of such incidents.
The BNP has also urged its leaders and activists to remain at polling centres until the final results are declared and directed polling agents nationwide to closely monitor the counting process.
The spokesperson also alleged instances of ballot stuffing, fake voting, and cases where individuals were unable to cast their votes despite being listed as alive, calling it reminiscent of "old fascist-style practices,", as reported by the Daily Star.
However, the BNP thanked the Bangladesh Election Commission, the Bangladeshi armed forces, and the country's interim government for their roles in conducting the election.
On the other hand, the Jamaat-led 11-party electoral alliance struck an optimistic note, describing the voting process as peaceful and participatory.
Speaking at a press conference at Jamaat's central office in Dhaka's Moghbazar, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair said the election environment was festive and orderly.
"A large number of people participated spontaneously. Compared to any time in the past, the environment was festive, peaceful, and participatory," Zubair said, as quoted by the Daily Star, expressing hope that the alliance would secure the highest number of seats and achieve a landslide victory.
While acknowledging isolated incidents of violence and irregularities, the alliance said it was satisfied overall and was awaiting the results.
Speaking to ANI, a polling agent for Jamaat-e-Islami, MA Haseem Bhuiyan described the voting process in his area as peaceful and smooth, expressing satisfaction with the overall conduct of the polls.
"The voting was peaceful. No problem arose in this voting area. I am very happy with this voting system. Voting has concluded, and counting is underway. After that, the presiding officer will declare the result. I am very happy that I have participated in such a voting system after a long time," he stated.
Today, voting in the parliamentary polls and the referendum on the implementation of the July National Charter took place across 299 of 300 constituencies in the country, with election authorities initiating the counting process shortly after polling hours ended.
Bangladesh voters on Thursday cast two votes each – one for the national election with a white ballot and another for the National Referendum, with pink ballots to decide whether the July National Charter should be adopted. The 'July Charter' lays out reforms for good governance, democracy, and social justice through institutional reforms to prevent "recurrence of authoritarian and fascist rule".
Many of the young people who played a part in removing her government in the 2024 uprising believe this election will be the Muslim-majority nation’s first real contest since 2009, the year Hasina began her 15-year tenure.
The National Citizen Party, led by Gen Z activists under 30, has joined hands with Jamaat after it failed to turn its anti-Hasina street protests into broader voter support.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in exile in India, dismissed the elections as a ‘farce’ and made allegations of election rigging. “From the evening of 11 February, this farce began with seizure of polling centres, gunfire, vote-buying, distribution of money, stamping of ballots, and agents signing result sheets,” she said in a statement posted by the Awami League party on X.
A total of 127,298,522 voters in 299 constituencies were eligible to cast their ballots. Of them, 64,620,077 were male voters, 62,677,232 female voters and 1,213 third-gender voters.
However, the total number of registered voters across 300 constituencies stands at 127,711,899, including 64,825,154 male voters, 62,885,525 female voters and 1,220 transgender voters.
Polling was held in 299 parliamentary constituencies, excluding Sherpur-3. The Election Commission cancelled the election there following the death of a candidate.
A total of 51 political parties participated in the election, with 2,034 candidates in the race, including 275 independent contenders.
Meanwhile, the Awami League on Thursday rejected Bangladesh's 13th National Parliamentary Election, terming it "illegal" and one-sided, and accusing the current interim government under the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus of being "unconstitutional".
Speaking to ANI in Kolkata, Awami League leader AFM Bahauddin Nasim said that a large part of the population was excluded from participating, as the party was banned from contesting in the polls.
"These are one-sided elections announced by the illegal Election Commission of an illegal and unconstitutional government in Bangladesh. A section of the population of Bangladesh has been kept away from these elections. There is just one party in Bangladesh which is banned – Awami League. In the last 54 years in Bangladesh, the Awami League has won 11 of the 13 elections," he said.
Nasim alleged that under the current government, Bangladesh has had "no rule of law, no human rights, no basic rights". (ANI and other agencies)
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