The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance dominated postal ballots in the 13th parliamentary election, winning 255 of the 299 postal ballot centres across constituencies.
Although BNP secured two-thirds of the parliamentary seats, it won only 41 postal ballot centres, according to an analysis of Election Commission data.
Postal ballots also overturned the final outcome in two constituencies – Sirajganj-4 and Madaripur-1 – where the results changed after postal votes were added to the polling-station counts.
Over 1m postal votes cast, nearly half for Jamaat
According to EC, about 1.5 million expatriates, election officials, government employees working outside their home constituencies and prisoners registered to vote by post through the “Postal Vote BD” app during the national election and referendum.
Of them, 1,063,874 voters cast ballots through postal voting, representing 69.99 per cent participation. More than 57,000 votes were later cancelled due to incorrectly completed ballots or late delivery, EC said.
Among the valid ballots, nearly half went to Jamaat.
EC data shows Jamaat secured 488,114 votes, while BNP, the second-highest vote-getter, obtained 322,144 votes.
National Citizen Party (NCP) received 52,840 votes, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis 33,150 votes, Islami Andolan Bangladesh 23,205 votes, and the Jatiya Party (JaPa) 8,379 votes.
Which parties won postal ballot centres?
Analysis of EC data shows candidates of the Jamaat -led 11-party alliance won 255 of the 299 postal ballot centres.
Jamaat won 210 centres, NCP 17, Khelafat Majlis 16, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) three, Khelafat Majlis five, Bangladesh Development Party two and Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) two centres.
BNP won 41 centres
Bogura was among the constituencies where BNP secured relatively stronger postal ballot results, although candidates from other BNP alliance parties failed to win any centre.
Three independent candidates also won postal ballot centres.
In Patuakhali-3 constituency, independent candidate Md Hasan Mamun secured the postal ballot centre with 785 votes, while BNP-backed candidate Nurul Haque Nur received 557 votes and Jamaat candidate Muhammad Shah Alam obtained 482 votes.
In Mymensingh-1 constituency, independent candidate Salman won the postal ballot centre with 1,024 votes using the horse symbol.
In Dhaka-9 constituency, independent candidate Tasnim Jara came out top with 1,165 votes, while BNP candidate Habibur Rashid obtained 1,101 votes.
Postal ballots reverse results in two seats
EC said postal ballots directly determined the final outcome in Sirajganj-4 and Madaripur-1 constituencies. In both seats, candidates who led in the polling-station count lost their lead once postal ballots were added.
In Sirajganj-4, Jamaat candidate Rafiqul Islam Khan received 159,693 votes from polling stations, while BNP candidate M Akbar Ali secured 160,458 votes.
Postal ballots reversed the result.
Rafiqul Islam Khan secured 2,179 postal votes against Akbar Ali’s 820, allowing the Jamaat candidate to win the seat by a final margin of 594 votes.
A similar reversal occurred in Madaripur-1.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis candidate Saeed Uddin Ahmad Hanzala, an ally of the 11-party coalition, won the seat by 385 votes over BNP candidate Nadira Akhtar.
Hanzala received 1,398 postal votes while Akhtar secured 233.
Before postal ballots were counted, Akhtar had led with 65,291 votes against Hanzala’s 64,511 votes – a margin of 786 votes.
The postal ballots overturned that lead and handed victory to Hanzala.
Tarique loses postal ballot in one seat
BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman won two constituencies overall but lost the postal ballot centre in Dhaka-17.
He received 1,256 votes there, while Jamaat candidate Khaliduzzaman secured 2,328 votes.
Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman won the postal ballot centre in Dhaka-15 with 2,790 votes.
Other leaders who won postal ballot centres include NCP Convenor Nahid Islam, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Md Mamunul Haque, Amar Bangladesh Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan (Manju) and Bangladesh Development Party Chairman AKM Anwarul Islam.
Those defeated in postal ballots included Jatiya Party Chairman Golam Mohammad Quader (GM Quader), Islami Andolon Bangladesh Ameer Mufti Syed Md Faizul Karim, Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman Andaleeve Rahman (Partho), Gono Odhikar Parishad President Md Nurul Haque (Nur), Revolutionary Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque, National Democratic Movement Chairman Bobby Hajjaj, Ganosamhati Andolon Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki and Nagorik Oikya Chairman Mahmudur Rahman Manna.
EC plans to expand postal voting
Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said the EC has begun work to expand postal voting significantly in the next parliamentary election.
“Although we had limited time to introduce postal ballots, we managed to complete the process very successfully. No other country receives such a large response to postal voting as Bangladesh,” he told Times of Bangladesh.
Referring to the role of postal ballots in determining two constituencies in this election, he said the influence of the system would grow further.
“We plan to bring more stakeholders, including journalists, elderly citizens and persons with disabilities, under this system,” he said.
Sanaullah said 767,233 expatriate voters from 123 countries registered to vote in the election, and 96 per cent of expatriates from 20 countries, including Saudi Arabia, cast their ballots.
He expressed hope that simplifying voter registration and national identity services abroad would enable expatriates to play a decisive role in determining results in many constituencies in future.
OCVI-SDI project team leader Salim Ahmed Khan said postal voting should ideally be opened to all citizens. “Many rickshaw-pullers cannot afford to spend Tk3,000 to travel to their home constituencies to vote. Postal ballots could offer them a major opportunity,” he said.
He added that the EC plans to make postal ballots more accessible in future for senior citizens, persons with disabilities, journalists, private-sector employees and women.
Efforts are also underway to improve online systems and study postal voting models in other countries to increase participation and address existing challenges.
