The 12th national parliamentary elections on Sunday saw dominant victories for many candidates, with most of them winning by 100,000 to 200,000 votes. However, some of the seats were hotly contested.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won by a record vote margin. She emerged victorious from the Gopalganj-3 constituency under Dhaka Division for the eighth time since 1986 with 249,965 votes, while her nearest rival, M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party, secured just 469 votes.
In the same division, independent candidate Moshiur Rahman Molla of Truck symbol won 50,631 votes in Dhaka-5 seat. Boat candidate Harunor Rashid (Munna) received 50,334 votes, putting the margin at only 297 votes.
In Rajshahi-2 (Sadar) constituency, Workers Party of Bangladesh General Secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha lost by a margin of only 3,440 votes. He received 31,466 votes, while Rajshahi Metropolitan Awami League Vice President Shafiqur Rahman won the seat with 34,906 votes.
Awami League candidate Abdul Wadud was elected in Rajshahi-5 constituency (Puthia-Durgapur) by a margin of 3.51 votes. He received 86,913 votes, while his nearest rival, independent candidate Obaidur Rahman with the Eagle symbol, got 83,862 votes.
In Chapainawabganj-1 (Shibganj) constituency, Boat candidate MP Samil Uddin Ahmed won by a margin of 7,103 votes. He secured 79,812 votes against the 72,709 votes for his nearest rival candidate Syed Nazrul Islam, who ran independently.
Shahjahan Omar, a former BNP leader who joined the ruling Awami League just before the election, won in the Jhalakathi-1 constituency, bagging 95,478 votes with the boat symbol.
His nearest contestant, Abu Bakar Siddique of Zaker Party, received only 1,624 votes in the election, according to Election Commission data.
In Dhaka-3 constituency, Nasrul Hamid of the boat symbol won with 132,732 votes, while Monir Sarkar with the Plough symbol got 2,868 votes.
Cricket star Shakib Al Hasan, the candidate of the Boat symbol in Magura-1 under Khulna constituency, received 185,388 votes. His nearest rival, Advocate Kazi Rezaul with the coconut symbol, got 5,994 votes.
In Kushtia-2 constituency of the same division, former information minister Hasanul Haque Inu was defeated by an independent candidate by a margin of less than 5,000 votes. He received 36,731 votes, while the independent candidate Kamarul Arefin with the truck symbol got 41,282 votes.
Awami League candidate Kazi Nabil Ahmed was elected in Jessore-3 constituency with 121,720 votes. His nearest rival, independent Mohit Kumar Nath, secured 64,511 votes with the eagle symbol.
Boat symbol candidate Shaheen Chakladar lost in Jessore-6 (Keshavpur) seat, receiving 39,269 votes. Independent candidate of Awami League Azizul Islam was elected after getting 48,947 votes.
Awami League candidate Sheikh Helal Uddin was elected in Bagerhat-1 (Chitalmari, Mollahat, and Fakirhat) constituency by a margin of more than 200,000 votes. He received 223,439 votes, while Jatiya Party candidate Kamruzzaman was his closest rival with 5,210 votes.
In Bagerhat-2 (Sadar and Kachua) constituency, Boat symbol candidate Sheikh Tanmoy won for the second time, getting 182,318 votes. The nearest competitor, Hazra Shahidul Islam of Jatiya Party, got 4,174 votes.
Bagerhat-4 (Morelganj and Sharankhola) constituency was won by the former president of Chhatra League Badiuzzaman Sohag, who received 19,934 votes. His nearest rival MR Jamil Hossain, an independent who announced his withdrawal from the polls at noon, got 5,376 votes.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen was elected in Sylhet-1 constituency for the second consecutive term. He was elected by a margin of more than 100,000 votes, securing 115,546 votes with the boat symbol, while his nearest rival Faizul Haque got 2,193 votes.
Sylhet-4 boat candidate Imran Ahmad won by getting 26,925 votes. The jute symbol candidate got 3,992 votes.
Masuk Uddin, the candidate of the boat in Sylhet-5 constituency, received 32,511 votes. Independent candidate Chowdhury got 44,795 votes.
Planning Minister MA Mannan was elected for the fourth consecutive time in Sunamganj-3 (Jagannathpur-Shantiganj) constituency, getting 126,998 votes. Trinamool BNP candidate former MP Shahinur Pasha Chowdhury (jute) got 4,000 votes.
In Chittagong-4 constituency, Awami League-nominated candidate SM Al Mamun got 142,708 votes. His nearest rival Didarul Kabir with the plough symbol got only 4,880 votes.
Awami League's nominated candidate for Chittagong-6 constituency and current Member of Parliament ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury got 221,572 votes. His nearest rival, independent candidate Shafiul Azam with the Truck symbol, got 3,159 votes.
Awami League-nominated candidate Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, the deputy minister of education, won the Chittagong-9 seat almost without a hitch, receiving 130,993 votes for the boat symbol. His nearest rival Sanjid Rashid Chowdhury of Jatiya Party with the plough symbol got 1,982 votes.
In Rangpur Division, Awami League candidate and Member of Parliament Asaduzzaman Noor was elected in Nilphamari-2 (Sadar) constituency, securing 119,339 votes. Independent candidate Zainal Abedin got 15,684 votes.
In Thakurgaon-1 constituency of the same division, Awami League candidate Ramesh Chandra Sen was elected after receiving 25,313 votes. Jatiya Party candidate Rezaur Raji got 13,940 votes.
Boat candidate Matia Chowdhury from Sherpur-II seat won by a margin of more than 200,000 votes, securing 212,142 votes. The closest rival candidate, Mohammad Shahjahan Kibria, got 4,575 votes.
Awami League candidate Noor Mohammad was elected in Jamalpur-1 (Dewanganj-Bakshiganj) constituency, receiving 228,247 votes. His closest rival, Jatiya Party candidate SM Abu Sayem, got 6,700 votes.
In Jamalpur-3 (Melandah-Madarganj) Constituency, Mirza Azam, the candidate of the boat symbol, was elected after getting 276,453 votes. Jatiya Party candidate Mir Samsul Alam got 7,470 votes.