Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna has lost his security deposit after failing to secure 12.5 percent of the total valid votes cast in the Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
According to Shibganj Upazila Election Officer Sakhawat Hossain, electoral law requires a candidate to obtain at least one-eighth, or 12.5 percent, of the total valid votes cast in a constituency to retain their deposit.
Official results show that 2,42,159 valid votes were cast in the constituency. To save his deposit, Manna needed a minimum of 30,269 votes but secured only 3,404 – falling short by 26,865 votes.
As a result, his Tk 50,000 security deposit will be confiscated in accordance with election regulations.
Mir Shahe Alam, contesting with the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol, was unofficially declared the winner after securing 1,45,024 votes. His nearest rival, a candidate from Jamaat-e-Islami, received 93,548 votes.
The remaining five candidates in the race also failed to meet the required minimum to retain their deposits.
Among them, former Member of Parliament Shariful Islam Jinnah of the Jatiya Party secured just 428 votes.
Manna, once regarded as a prominent student leader and a well-known figure in national politics, suffered a significant setback in his home constituency — a result that has sparked discussion in political circles.
He previously contested four parliamentary elections under different political banners, including the BNP and the Awami League, but suffered defeat in all four elections.
He first ran in 1991 as a candidate of the Janata Mukti Party, receiving 2,180 votes. In 1996, as an Awami League candidate, he secured 19,871 votes. In the 2001 election, he received 36,750 votes, and in 2018, contesting under the BNP-led alliance, he garnered 59,713 votes.
With his latest defeat, Manna’s bid to enter parliament remains unsuccessful for the fifth time.
