<p>Dhaka: The people of Bangladesh have spoken. They have given a strong mandate to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that presented a moderate and progressive position rejecting a radical Islamist alliance.</p>.<p>BNP won a landslide victory, crossing the 210-mark in the 299 seats of the Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad that were up for grabs. But it stayed away from dhol, crackers or victory processions. “Instead, we call upon the nation to observe a day of prayers today (February 13), seeking peace, stability and guidance for the future of Bangladesh,” the party conveyed through social media platforms.</p>.<p>Chairman and prime minister elect Tarique Rehman went for Friday prayers in the quiet masjid at the highly secured Naval Colony and paid respects at his mother, the late Begum Khaleda Zia’s grave.</p>.<p>According to unofficial results announced by the Election Commission, right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, known to be close to Pakistan, secured 68 seats. The Awami League party of Hasina was barred from contesting the polls, which recorded 59.44% voter turnout.</p>.<p>The EC postponed the announcement of results in two seats - Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4. The election in one seat was postponed due to a candidate’s death.</p>.<p>BNP has returned to power after 20 years. It secured wins in several former strongholds of the Awami League which was not allowed to fight these elections. It swept all three seats in Gopalganj, the turf of Sheikh Hasina.</p>.<p>Gopalganj-3, with a large population of Bangladeshi Hindus, had elected Hasina seven times since 1991. This time, marking a ground shift, BNP’s S M Zilani defeated independent candidate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik.</p>.<p>Jamaat-e-Islami, meanwhile, in its best performance ever, secured some 70 seats along with its 11-party alliance. Its previous best was 18 seats in the 1991 elections. But several conservative bigwigs in the coalition were rejected. These include Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman and Azad Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish’s Ameer Mamunul Haque.</p>.<p>The NCP (National Citizens’ Party) led by youth leader Nahid Islam, who was a big face of the July uprising in 2024 against the Shiekh Hasina regime, has also now entered Parliament, winning six of the 30 seats it fought.</p>.<p>But the party’s prominent candidates, including Nasiruddin Patwary and Sarjis Alam, known for his inflammatory anti-India statements, lost the race. The Jamaat’s lone Hindu candidate too, could not win.</p>.<p>While the break-up of final official voter data is awaited, Bangladesh’s feisty independent and vocal women seem to have rejected the Jamaat’s manifesto proposals of segregated public spaces and fewer working hours. </p>.<p>Meanwhile, Jamaat has raised allegations of “abnormal delays” and “result tampering,” warning that it would launch a tough movement if the public mandate were “snatched away”.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission building early morning, Jamaat’s assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair alleged that returning officers were intentionally delaying results to favour a “particular party.”</p>.<p>“In the seats contested by our top leaders, results should have been declared by 8 pm or 9 pm according to the signed sheets given to polling agents,” Zubair said.</p>.<p><em>(With PTI inputs)</em></p>
<p>Dhaka: The people of Bangladesh have spoken. They have given a strong mandate to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that presented a moderate and progressive position rejecting a radical Islamist alliance.</p>.<p>BNP won a landslide victory, crossing the 210-mark in the 299 seats of the Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad that were up for grabs. But it stayed away from dhol, crackers or victory processions. “Instead, we call upon the nation to observe a day of prayers today (February 13), seeking peace, stability and guidance for the future of Bangladesh,” the party conveyed through social media platforms.</p>.<p>Chairman and prime minister elect Tarique Rehman went for Friday prayers in the quiet masjid at the highly secured Naval Colony and paid respects at his mother, the late Begum Khaleda Zia’s grave.</p>.<p>According to unofficial results announced by the Election Commission, right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, known to be close to Pakistan, secured 68 seats. The Awami League party of Hasina was barred from contesting the polls, which recorded 59.44% voter turnout.</p>.<p>The EC postponed the announcement of results in two seats - Chattogram-2 and Chattogram-4. The election in one seat was postponed due to a candidate’s death.</p>.<p>BNP has returned to power after 20 years. It secured wins in several former strongholds of the Awami League which was not allowed to fight these elections. It swept all three seats in Gopalganj, the turf of Sheikh Hasina.</p>.<p>Gopalganj-3, with a large population of Bangladeshi Hindus, had elected Hasina seven times since 1991. This time, marking a ground shift, BNP’s S M Zilani defeated independent candidate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik.</p>.<p>Jamaat-e-Islami, meanwhile, in its best performance ever, secured some 70 seats along with its 11-party alliance. Its previous best was 18 seats in the 1991 elections. But several conservative bigwigs in the coalition were rejected. These include Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman and Azad Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish’s Ameer Mamunul Haque.</p>.<p>The NCP (National Citizens’ Party) led by youth leader Nahid Islam, who was a big face of the July uprising in 2024 against the Shiekh Hasina regime, has also now entered Parliament, winning six of the 30 seats it fought.</p>.<p>But the party’s prominent candidates, including Nasiruddin Patwary and Sarjis Alam, known for his inflammatory anti-India statements, lost the race. The Jamaat’s lone Hindu candidate too, could not win.</p>.<p>While the break-up of final official voter data is awaited, Bangladesh’s feisty independent and vocal women seem to have rejected the Jamaat’s manifesto proposals of segregated public spaces and fewer working hours. </p>.<p>Meanwhile, Jamaat has raised allegations of “abnormal delays” and “result tampering,” warning that it would launch a tough movement if the public mandate were “snatched away”.</p>.<p>Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission building early morning, Jamaat’s assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair alleged that returning officers were intentionally delaying results to favour a “particular party.”</p>.<p>“In the seats contested by our top leaders, results should have been declared by 8 pm or 9 pm according to the signed sheets given to polling agents,” Zubair said.</p>.<p><em>(With PTI inputs)</em></p>