The ruling Awami League and independent candidates won two seats, each, in six out of the seven constituencies that went for re-polls on Thursday. Jatiya Party and Tarikat Federation won one seat each. Results were still awaited from one constituency till filing of this report.
The Election commission said polling went off peacefully. Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali of Awami League, unofficially, won in Dinajpur-4. The foreign minister in the poll-time government received 142,406 votes, while his nearest rival Enamul Haque Sarker (Workers Party) managed only 2,761 votes.
Mahmood Ali, who was earlier leading with 68,088 votes, obtained 78,318 votes during re-polling in 57 polling centres and Sarker got 1,381 votes.
In Bogra-7, Jatiya Party candidate Altaf Ali has unofficially been declared winner. He received 17,859 votes and his rival Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) candidate Aminul Islam Sarker got 10,098 votes. During the January 5 election, Altaf’s tally was 7,043 votes and Aminul got 3,175 votes.
The BNP-led 18 Party Alliance, which had boycotted the election, observed a day-long hartal against re-polling in Bogra’s Gabtoli upazila on Thursday.
Tarikat Federation candidate MA Awal was unofficially declared winner in Laxmipur-1. Awal received 49,888 votes and his nearest rival Shafiqul Islam (independent) got 21,800 votes. Earlier, Awal (election symbol boat) had bagged 32,057 votes, and Shafiqul won 20,911 votes.
AL candidate Yunus Ali Sarker has been declared winner unofficially in Gaibandha-3 constituency, with a margin of huge number of votes. Yunus received 127,563 votes and his nearest rival independent candidate Khademul Islam Khudi got only 18,204. Earlier in January election, Yunus had bagged 70,664 votes against Khudi’s tally of 12,781.
In Gaibandha-4, independent candidate Abul Kalam Azad emerged victorious with a margin of 33,932 votes. Azad received 98,546 votes, while his nearest rival, Monwar Hossain Chowdhury (AL), got 64,614 votes. Earlier, Azad had received 59,862 votes, and Monowar Hossain 18,806.
In Jessore-5, independent candidate Swapan Bhattacharya was unofficially declared winner, with a margin of 20,006 votes. Swapan received 78,424 votes, while AL’s Khan Tipu Sultan got 58,418. Earlier, Tipu Sultan was leading with 30,531 votes, while Swapan got 18,331 votes.
The general election on January 5 was marked with large-scale violence and low turnout of voters. The Election Commission had decided to hold re-election in several polling centres across eight constituencies. While seven constituencies went for re-polling on Thursday, the process was postponed in Kurigram-4, following a High Court order on Wednesday.
Of the rest the 292 constituencies, the ruling AL won 232 seats, Jatiya Party 33, Workers Party 6, JSD 5, and Jatiya Party (Manju), Tarikat Federation and BNF bagged one each. Independent candidates won 13 seats.
Courtesy of The Independent
