BNP-backed Faisal scores landslide win

BNP nominated candidate Mirza Faisal Amin has won the Thakurgaon-1 by-election by a margin of 131,336 votes, according to unofficial results.

Returning Officer and Thakurgaon District Election Officer Kamrul Islam announced the result around 9:30pm on Thursday. Election and administrative officials from across Thakurgaon district were present when the results were announced.

Mirza Faisal, the younger brother of President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secured 227,789 votes with the party’s ‘sheaf of paddy’ symbol.

His closest rival, the Jamaat-e-Islami nominated candidate Delwar Hossain received 96,453 votes.

The voter turnout was 64.77 per cent.
However, Jamaat has alleged widespread irregularities, mismanagement, intimidation and partisan conduct in the by-election, including claims that some ballot papers were stamped and signed in advance.

The allegations were raised by the party’s
Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar at a press briefing at its central office in Moghbazar yesterday.

Parwar said the party had received reports of voters being prevented from entering polling centres, intimidation of voters, and election agents being obstructed from performing their duties. In some cases, he said, voters were told their votes had already been cast.

He expressed concern over what he described as the Election Commission’s (EC) failure to take effective action in response to the allegations.

Parwar also alleged that Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Fairuz Islam had been accused of favouring a candidate from a particular party but had not been removed from election duties despite calls for action to ensure neutrality.

BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said voting was proceeding peacefully, without allegations of centre capture, vote rigging or clashes.

Speaking to journalists at the party’s central office in Paltan in the capital on Thursday afternoon, Rizvi said, “Since morning, we have seen people casting their votes in an excellent and peaceful atmosphere.”

Describing voter turnout and the overall environment as satisfactory, he said the party was optimistic about the outcome. He also urged opposition parties not to create artificial allegations centred on the election.

Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed earlier expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the by-election, saying no reports of untoward incidents had been received throughout the day.

“We have completed a good election in a peaceful environment with everyone’s cooperation,” he told a post-balloting briefing at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka’s Agargaon in the afternoon.