AL candidates win Lakshmipur, Brahmanbaria by-polls amid boycotts, low turnout

The Awami League nominated candidates have won the by-polls to Lakshmipur-3 and Brahmanbaria-2 constituencies amid allegations of vote rigging and boycotts by rival candidates.

The voting took place from 8am to 4pm on Sunday.

Awami League candidate Golam Faruque Pinku secured victory in the Lakshmipur-3 by-polls by a wide margin, with the voter turnout reportedly higher compared to recent by-polls.

Faruque bagged 1,20,599 votes, while his nearest rival, Jatiya Party-nominated Md Rakib Hossain got 3,846 votes, said Returning Officer (RO) Farhad Hossain while announcing the election results at Lakshmipur Town Hall at 8pm.

Among others, the Zaker Party candidate received 2,100 votes and the National People's Party (NPP) candidate 513 votes.

The total number of voters in the constituency is 4,03,744. The turnout was 1,28,612 or 31.85%, said the RO.

The by-polls in the constituency witnessed low voter turnout, reflecting a recurring trend seen in recent countrywide elections.

The candidates of Jatiya Party and Zaker Party boycotted the by-polls.

At a press conference in Lakshmipur Press Club, Jatiya Party candidate Md Rakib Hossain Rakib Hossain claimed his polling agents were forcefully driven away from the poll centres.

He also made allegations of vote-rigging in Dattapara, Darjipara, Baralia Darul Ulum Hossainia Madrasah and Dattapara Ram Ratan Bohumukhi Adarsha High School centres.

Refuting the allegations raised by Jatiya Party and Zaker Party, Awami League candidate Golam Faruque Pinku said, "The voting process was entirely fair, with no instances of undue influence reported."

He said, "The claims made by Jatiya Party and Zaker Party candidates are untrue. Voters exercised their right to vote freely, and we were vigilant in upholding the government's reputation."

Echoing the AL candidate's viewpoint, Lakshmipur Returning Officer Farhad Hossain said the election was conducted in a just and peaceful environment.

"There were no complaints of irregularities. The candidates from Jatiya Party and Zaker Party did not inform me of the reasons for their election boycott; I learned about it from the media," he added.

In Brahmanbaria-2 by-polls, Awami League nominated Md Shahjahan Alam secured win by bagging securing 66,314 votes.

The polls results were announced by the Returning Officer (RO) Md Shahgir Alam at 9pm Sunday.

Shahjahan's nearest rival, independent candidate Md Ziaul Haque Mridha received 37,557 votes.

Among others, Jatiya Party candidate Md Abdul Hamid received 3,186 votes, Zaker Party candidate Jahirul Islam Golap 561 votes and National People's Party candidate Md Razzaq Hossain 739 votes, said the RO.

Total number of voters in the constituency is 4,10,072. There were reports of low voter turnout in the constituency. 

Independent candidate Ziaul Haque Mridha raised allegations of vote rigging in some centres of Ashuganj, claiming that there were blatant cases of people flooding the votes for the "boat" symbol. 

He claimed there were flawed voter lists and fake votes being cast in Sharifpur, Andidil, Jatrapur, Baratalla, Tekerpar, Charchartala, and Naoghat centres.

"I demand cancellation of Sharifpur voting," added Ziaul Haque.

Rejecting the allegation, Assistant Returning Officer Shemal Chandra Basak said the idea of fake votes was absurd. 

The by-polls in Lakshmipur-3 and Brahmanbaria-2 constituencies are particularly significant as they took place just before the upcoming national election, which the Election Commission (EC) had pledged to be free, fair and festive.

Despite multiple attempts from The Business Standard, the spokesperson of the Election Commission, EC Secretary Md Jahangir Alam, and even the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the responsible election commissioner for the election Md Anisur Rahman did not respond to calls.