National Citizen Party (NCP) has alleged vote manipulation and irregularities in several Dhaka constituencies in Thursday’s parliamentary elections.
NCP spokesperson and chairman of its Central Election Management Committee Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain accused election officials and unnamed actors of deliberately altering vote counts to favour rival candidates, particularly in seats contested by leaders of the NCP-led 11-party alliance.
He made the allegations at an emergency press conference at the party’s temporary office at 2am on Friday.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and have clear evidence of attempts to tamper with results in constituencies where BNP candidates are trailing and where leaders of our 11-party alliance are contesting,” Mahmud said.
Referring to Dhaka-13, he alleged repeated discrepancies in the announced results. “Data from media reports, polling centres and returning officers did not match, indicating manipulation,” he said.
In Dhaka-15, he claimed vote margins of 20,000 to 22,000 abruptly rose to between 61,000 and 82,000 before the BNP candidate was declared the winner.
“Such announcements create psychological pressure and distort the actual vote count,” he said. He cited similar inconsistencies in Dhaka-16, Dhaka-17 and Dhaka-19, alleging that totals declared in Dhaka-19 conflicted with figures from individual polling stations.
Mahmud also questioned the process in Dhaka-11, where NCP candidate Nahid Islam was leading by nearly 6,000 votes based on aggregated polling station data, but the returning officer declared only a 1,500-vote lead.
“Although he was ultimately declared the winner, these discrepancies raise serious concerns about transparency. We have demanded recounts in these constituencies, which are now underway,” he said.
In Dhaka-8, he alleged that ballots cast outside designated marker boxes were counted in favour of certain candidates, despite regulations requiring votes to fall within marked areas.
“We obtained a voice recording from a candidate’s relative confirming that invalid votes were deliberately counted to benefit Mirza Abbas. This is clear evidence of tampering,” he said.
He added that returning officers claimed they had received oral instructions from the Election Commission secretary, although the commission officially denied issuing such directives.
Mahmud also criticised delays in announcing results, noting that some centres completed counting by 7pm, but official declarations were delayed until late at night. “This creates confusion and may mislead the public about who is leading,” he said.
“We are ready to support any government formed through a fair election,” he added. “But manipulation of results undermines public confidence and the democratic process.”
He urged the Election Commission to intervene, recount disputed votes, annul invalid ballots and ensure that official results accurately reflect the will of the voters.
“We will not accept any manipulation, particularly in constituencies where our alliance’s top leaders are contesting. The people have the right to know the truth,” he said.
