BNP deployed full force to defeat me, says Rumeen Farhana after victory
She also expressed gratitude even to those who did not vote for her and made “indecent and obscene remarks,” including BNP leaders
MP-elected Barrister Rumeen Farhana has said she had to fight not only her constituency rival but also the full strength of BNP during the election in Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail, Ashuganj and parts of Bijoynagar).
"BNP threw its full force against me. They took it as if an individual's image could not be bigger than the party. They said Rumeen must be defeated," she told journalists at her residence in Shahbazpur, Sarail, this afternoon (13 February) while reacting to her victory.
In the 13th parliamentary election held yesterday (12 February), Rumeen Farhana contested as an independent candidate with the 'duck' symbol and was unofficially elected with 118,547 votes. Her nearest rival, BNP alliance-backed candidate Mohammad Junayed Al Habib, secured 80,434 votes with the 'date palm tree' symbol. Rumeen was expelled from the BNP for contesting as an independent candidate in defiance of the party's decision.
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Rumeen said her election preparation was not limited to 22 or 25 days. "Since 5 August, I stayed in the area for at least four to five days a week. This preparation began long ago. This victory is not mine; it belongs to my voters," she said.
She also expressed gratitude even to those who did not vote for her and made "indecent and obscene remarks," including BNP leaders. "Had they not behaved so poorly, perhaps I would not have won by such a large margin. People responded to all injustice, wrongdoing and ingratitude through the ballot," she added.
Expressing frustration over BNP activities, Rumeen said the party's movement had been for voting rights and free, fair elections, and she had been part of that struggle. "But in the last 18 months, we saw how money was extracted from people, how oppression was carried out, how land and businesses were grabbed, and how extortion was done. Should I be part of those? Certainly not," she said.
"My politics is mine, the party's politics is theirs," she added, expressing hope that the BNP would not repeat the mistakes it made between 2001 and 2026. "Over the past one and a half years, they have annoyed people in many ways. I hope that will not be repeated," she said.
