The Election Commission (EC) has directed the returning officers of Bogura-6 and Sherpur-3 constituencies to submit reports after examining allegations raised by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami over irregularities in the by-elections to the two parliamentary seats.
“We have started investigating. I have already asked for the report from our respective officers,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Thursday afternoon, while replying to a question from reporters at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area.
When asked about Jamaat’s decision to boycott the Sherpur-3 election, he said, “They have boycotted the election—why they did so is a question for them. We arranged the election; we did not ask anyone to boycott it,” he added.
Referring to reports of the boycott over alleged fake voting shortly before the end of polling, the EC secretary said he heard that around 3:45 pm that they boycotted citing fake votes. “Voting went on throughout the day, and then 20 minutes before the end such allegation—this is their political matter,” he said, adding that he doesn’t have any comment on it.
“However, I have asked my officials to submit reports. The results must also be announced without delay,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, at a press conference in the capital’s Moghbazar area, alleged serious irregularities during voting in the Bogura-6 and Sherpur-3 by-elections.
He alleged that presiding officers collected signatures from agents on result sheets even before voting began in some polling stations, violating election rules.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-nominated candidate Masudur Rahman announced a boycott of the Sherpur-3 (Sreebardi-Zhenaigati) election around 3:00 pm, alleging that a fair election was not possible.
Earlier in the morning, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said the EC was committed to ensuring elections of international standards.
“We want to demonstrate what is understood globally as a standard election. We are using everything from drones to scientific monitoring systems,” he said after overseeing the voting virtually from the EC’s law and order coordination cell in the Nirbachan Bhaban.
The CEC said extensive measures had been taken to ensure smooth and peaceful balloting, similar to the recently held 13th parliamentary election.
On February 24 last, the EC announced the election schedule for the two parliamentary seats.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman contested the February-12 general election from two parliamentary constituencies – Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17 and he was elected from the two seats. But Tarique Rahman has left Bogura-6 seat for by-election and took oath as a member of parliament from Dhaka-17 constituency.
Besides, the EC on February 04 last cancelled the election to Sherpur-3 constituency, following the death of Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Nuruzzaman Badal.
The elections to 299 out of the country’s 300 constituencies (except Sherpur-3) were held on February 12.
The EC published a gazette of 297 elected MP candidates on February 12, keeping the election result of Chattogram-2 and 4 constituencies withheld in line with the court’s decisions.
On Tuesday, 296 newly elected MPs took oath as Tarique Rahman who was elected from two constituencies left Bogura-6 for by-election to remain the member of parliament from Dhaka-17.
The 296 newly MPs include 208 BNP ones, 68 Jamaat MPs, seven independent MPs and six NCP MPs, two Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis MPs, one MP each of Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP, Ganaodhikar Parishad, Ganasamhati Andolan, Khelafat Majlish and Islami Andolan Bangladesh.