BNP candidate Mirza Faisal Amin won the Thakurgaon-1 by-election by a landslide on Thursday, defeating his nearest rival, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Md Delawar Hossain, by 1,31,404 votes.
Faisal secured 2,27,917 votes under the sheaf of paddy symbol, while Delawar received 96,513 votes under the scales symbol.
The constituency recorded a voter turnout of 64.77 per cent, according to results from all 185 polling centres.
Although voting was largely peaceful, irregularities and administrative lapses were observed in at least 15 centres visited by this correspondent. These included ballot papers stamped before voting began, a voter finding that someone else had already cast his vote, and election officials using handwritten identity cards without photographs.
Two voters were also seen entering the same polling booth together, while three people were detained on allegations of attempting to cast fraudulent votes.
Returning Officer Md Kamrul Islam announced the results at the results collection and dissemination centre at Thakurgaon Shilpakala Academy at night.
Md Abdul Amin Nizami, contesting with the banyan tree symbol, received 836 votes. Md Badrul Islam, the hand fan candidate, secured 3,289 votes, while Humayun Muhammad Omar Faruk, contesting with the coconut symbol, received 450 votes.
Irregularities at centres
At Dhorarhat MC High School polling centre, voter Dilip Chandra found that someone else had already cast his vote. A polling officer admitted that the mistake occurred because another voter with the same name had been allowed to vote without proper verification.
“I did not ask for his father’s and mother’s names. That was my mistake,” the officer said.
The polling officials at the centre were using handwritten identity cards prepared by the presiding officer instead of the prescribed cards supplied by the Election Commission. Even the presiding officer’s card had no photograph.
Presiding Officer Abu Bakar Siddique said they had received the cards in that format and had not been instructed to provide photographs.
At Gurongach Government Primary School polling centre in Ruhia upazila, ballot papers in an entire booklet were found stamped before voting began.
At Rangraipukur Shishu Government Primary School polling centre, two voters were seen entering the same polling booth simultaneously. The presiding officer attributed the incident to voters’ lack of awareness of the rules.
Voter turnout was low at the centre, although the presiding officer claimed that around 50 per cent of votes had been cast by that time. Election officials there were also using handwritten identity cards.
At the Collectorate Public School and College polling centre in Thakurgaon town, only a handful of voters were seen arriving at around 2:30pm. Of the centre’s 2,628 registered voters, 814 had cast their ballots by 2pm, Presiding Officer Lutful Hai Dipu said.
Similar low turnout was observed at Goalpara High School and several other centres in the constituency. Urban centres generally saw fewer voters than rural ones, while women voters were comparatively more visible in areas with sizeable minority communities.
Three people were detained on allegations of attempting to cast fraudulent votes at Danarhat Ansaria Fazil Madrasa polling centre. Allegations of fake voters and votes cast by individuals on behalf of others were also reported at Jagannathpur Ideal Government Primary School.
Despite the reported irregularities, no major incidents of violence were reported during the voting period from 8am to 4pm.
Candidates trade allegations
Faisal cast his vote at Thakurgaon Government Girls’ High School polling centre at around 8:45am and expressed confidence in a decisive victory.
“I certainly expect to win. We will win by a landslide, Insha Allah,” he told reporters.
Asked about the administration’s designation of 115 polling centres as “risky”, he said the administration was best placed to explain the decision. He also alleged that agents of Bangladesh Congress candidate Husain Muhammad Omar Faruk, who contested with the coconut symbol, were working in favour of Jamaat.
Delawar, who visited several polling centres throughout the day, alleged widespread irregularities, including advance stamping of ballot papers, fraudulent voting and ballot snatching.
Speaking at Goalpara High School polling centre around 3:30pm, shortly before voting ended, he claimed that five or six BNP activists had been caught attempting to cast fake votes.
He also alleged that BNP activists had violated the electoral code of conduct by wearing T-shirts bearing the party’s sheaf of paddy symbol inside polling centres.
Describing the situation at several polling centres in Thakurgaon town municipality, Delawar alleged that BNP activists had snatched ballot papers from voters, stamped them in favour of their candidate on a table and placed them in the ballot box.
He further claimed that ballot papers in some centres had been stamped in advance, with 20 to 25 ballots in certain booklets already marked. He also raised concerns over election officials working without proper identity cards.
