The 12th parliament is about to get a facelift, with around 100 new faces from the Awami League and independents set to take their seats in it.
Independent candidates lead the charge, claiming a majority of the new seats. While many rode the tide of public dissatisfaction with established parties, some, like Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman in Habiganj-4, proved their individual political mettle.
Mohiuddin Maharaj, an independent candidate and former assistant to Jatiya Party leader Anwar Hossain Manju, has become the talk of the country by defeating the seven-term incumbent MP in Pirojpur-2.
However, traditional party loyalties were not entirely forgotten.
The ruling Awami League played a role in introducing new faces, including cricketing sensation Shakib Al Hasan, who stormed to victory in Magura-1 with a landslide margin. Actor Ferdous Ahmed also surprised everyone by entering the fray and securing a seat for the Awami League in Dhaka-10.
This influx of new MPs is not limited to isolated pockets.
Districts like Mymensingh saw nine of its eleven seats filled by newcomers, while Jessore saw four out of six.
Major metropolitan areas like Dhaka and Chittagong also witnessed a significant turnover.
Family connections still played a role, with some new MPs benefiting from their political lineage.
However, the overall trend highlights a shift towards fresh ideas and experiences. The emphasis on youth is particularly noteworthy, with many new MPs coming from the younger generation.
Dhaka
Apart from Ferdous taking a new stage, eight more constituencies saw fresh faces out of 20.
Awlad Hossain became a member of Parliament for the first time after defeating Sanjida Khanom in the Dhaka-4 constituency.
Besides, independent candidates Mashiur Rahman Molla Sajol in Dhaka-5, Mohammad Saiful Islam in Dhaka-19, and Khosru Chowdhury in Dhaka-18 secured their seats in parliament.
From the Awami League, Sayeed Khokon in Dhaka-6, Solaiman Salim in Dhaka-7, Md Wakil Uddin in Dhaka-11, and Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil in Dhaka-14 emerged victorious.
Chittagong
In Chittagong, seven out of eleven constituencies elected fresh faces. Of them, four were from the Awami League.
They are Mahbub Ur Rahman Ruhel (Chittagong-1), Khadizatul Anwar Sony (Chittagong-2), Awami League candidate SM Al Mamun (Chittagong-4), and Motaherul Islam Chowdhury (Chittagong-12).
The three independent candidates are Abduch Chalam (Chittagong-8), MA Motaleb (Chittagong-15), and Mujibur Rahman CIP (Chittagong-16).
In Comilla, six out of 11 constituencies saw new faces. In Comilla-1, Engineer Abdus Sabur Bhuiyan, in Comilla-2 Principal Abdul Majeed, in Comilla-3 Jahangir Alam Sarkar, in Comilla-4 Abul Kalam Azad, in Comilla-5 MA Jaher, and in Comilla-8 AZM Shafiuddin Shamim.
Besides, Maj Gen (retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, chief of Bangladesh Kallyan Party, emerged victorious in Cox’s Bazar-1.
Additionally, Alauddin Ahmad Chowdhury Nasim in Feni-1, Ekramuzzaman in Brahmanbaria-1, and Moinuddin in Brahmanbaria-2 will assume their new roles.
Khulna
The biggest name on the list is Shakib Al Hasan in Kushtia-1.
Additionally, out of six constituencies in Jessore, four saw new faces. They are Dr Touhiduzzaman Tuhin in Jessore-2, Enamul Haque Babul in Jessore-4, Yakub Ali in Jessore-5, and Azizul Islam in Jessore-6.
Other than that, nine more people will take the helm of their constituencies for the first time.
They are Md Rashiduzzaman in Khulna-6, HM Badiuzzaman Sohag in Bagerhat-4, Feroze Ahmed Swapan in Satkhira-1, Ashrafuzzaman Ashu Satkhira-2, SM Ataul Haque Dolan Satkhira-4, Kamarul Arefin in Kushtia-2, Nasser Shahriar Zahedi in Jhenaidah-2, Salah Uddin Miyaji in Jhenaidah-3 seats, and Abu Saleh Md Nazmul Haque in Meherpur-2.
Barisal
There are five fresh MPs out of 21 in Barisal division. Apart from Maharaj, there are Shamim Shahnewaz, Pirojpur-3, Golam Sarwar Tuku (Barguna-1), Sultana Nadira (Barguna-2), and Maj Gen Abdul Hafiz Mallik (Barisal-6).
Sylhet
Out of 19 constituencies in Sylhet division, seven MPs were elected for the first time.
Among them, 5 are from the Awami League and the remaining 2 are independent candidates. Apart from Barrister Suman, Maulana Husham Uddin Chowdhury won from Sylhet-5.
The five Awami League men are Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel in Moulvibazar-2, Md Zillur Rahman in Moulvibazar-3, Ranjit Sarkar in Sunamganj-1, Dr Mohammad Sadiq in Sunamganj-4, Moize Uddin Sharif Ruhel in Habiganj-2.
Rajshahi
There are 11 new MPs in Rajshahi division.
They are Principal Shafiqur Rahman Badsha in Rajshahi-2, Asaduzzaman Asad in Rajshahi-3, Abul Kalam Azad in Rajshahi-4, Galibur Rahman Sharif in Pabna-4, Sourandranath Chakraborty in Naogaon-3, Brahani Sultan Mahmud Gama in Naogaon-4, Advocate Omar Farooq Sumon Naogaon-6, Khan Muhammad Saifullah Al Mehdi in Bogra-3, Mojibur Rahman Majnu in Bogra-5, Dr Mustafa Alam Nannu in Bogra-7, and Dr Jannat Ara Henry in Sirajganj-2.
Mymensingh
There will be 9 new faces from Mymensingh district while Jamalpur will have 3 fresh MPs.
Our district correspondents Pimple Barua, Md Serajul Islam, Hedait Hossain, Anisur Rahman Swapan, Dulal Abdullah, Mahasin Kabir, and Bishwajit Deb contributed to this report
