Awami League, JaPa candidates win Brahmanbaria, Gaibandha by-polls respectively

Awami League and Jatiya Party (JaPa) candidates have won in the Brahmanbaria 1 (Nasirnagar) and Gaibandha 1 (Sundarganj) by-elections, respectively. Voting in both constituencies was held simultaneously from 8am to 4pm on Tuesday without any major disruption amidst low voter turnout. Both seats had fallen vacant after the deaths of their MPs in December last year.

Gaibandha 1

JaPa candidate Shamim Haider Patwary, with electoral symbol plough, bagged 78,926 votes to become the next lawmaker from Gaibandha 1. His rival, Awami League’s Afruza Bari, with a boat symbol, secured 68,913 votes. The results were announced by Returning Officer GM Sahatab Uddin around 9pm. Gaibandha 1 by-election has seen a low turnout of voters on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 | Md Tazul Islam/Dhaka TribuneOf the 338,556 voters from one municipality and 15 unions under the constituency, 148,967 people cast their votes at 109 polling centres – making the voter turnout around 44.46%, he said. Leaders and activists of Jatiya Party, the main opposition in the 10th parliament, were seen bringing out processions celebrating Shamim’s win.

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Also Read- Gaibandha 1 by-polls: 4 detained for trying to disrupt voting

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Although the daylong ballot apparently did not draw much attention from voters, four people were detained from Gopalcharan Government Primary School polling centre of Sundarganj for disrupting the voting process by attempting to promote the boat symbol after casting their own votes. The seat fell vacant after MP Golam Mostafa Ahmed died in a road accident on December 19 last year.

Brahmanbaria 1

In Brahmanbaria 1, Awami League candidate Bodruddoza M Farhad Hossain bagged 82,296 votes to become the next lawmaker from Nasirnagar. His nearest contender was JaPa’s Rezwan Ahmed, who secured 33,584 votes. Returning Officer Sahedun Nabi announced the results from the control room around 9:30pm. Vote counting underway at a polling centre at Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 | Dhaka TribuneOf the 214,009 voters from 13 unions under the constituency, about 118,167 people cast their votes at 74 polling centres – making the voter turnout around 55.71%, he said. Supporters of the ruling party and its affiliated organizations brought out celebratory processions in the upazila after the results were announced.

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Also Read- Voting underway in Brahmanbaria 1 by-polls

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Earlier in the afternoon, Rezwan called for a boycott of the by-polls with allegations of vote rigging, forcibly taking control of voting centres, and irregularities against the ruling party. The JaPa leader also alleged that no action was taken even after he lodged verbal complaints with the returning officer and law enforcement agencies on duty. The seat fell vacant after the death of its MP, Awami League leader and fisheries and livestock minister Sayedul Hoque on December 16, 2017.