Tarique wins both Dhaka-17, Bogura-6 seats

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has been unofficially declared elected from both Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 constituencies in the 13th national parliamentary election, according to unofficial results.

In Dhaka-17, Tarique secured 72,699 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate SM Khaliduzzaman, who received 68,300 votes. The BNP chief won the seat by a margin of 4,399 votes.

Dhaka Divisional Commissioner and Returning Officer Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury announced the results around 4am today (13 February).

"Voting in the constituency was held at 125 centres, including postal ballots. Out of 3,33,813 registered voters in Dhaka-17, a total of 1,47,888 votes were cast. Of those, 2,211 were rejected, leaving 1,45,677 valid votes," he said.

In Bogura-6, Tarique was declared elected after results from all 151 centres were compiled. District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Md Toufiqul Rahman announced the unofficial results around 1:30am.

According to the results, Tarique secured 216,284 votes, while his nearest rival, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Abidur Rahman Sohel, received 97,626 votes.

Besides Bogura-6, BNP candidates won in the remaining six constituencies in the district.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, contesting with the party's electoral symbol 'Sheaf of Paddy', secured victory in Thakurgaon-1.

Voting in Bangladesh's national election concluded on Thursday in a largely peaceful atmosphere, with high hopes of restoring genuine democracy and securing a strong mandate for national reforms.

The polling began at 7:30am and continued until 4:30pm without interruption at 42,659 polling stations in 299 out of 300 constituencies, amid the deployment of nearly one million security personnel and another one million polling staff.

Alongside the parliamentary election, voters also participated in a referendum to express their views through 'Yes' or 'No' votes on proposals for several constitutional amendments.