Dhaka
BNP reopens Nayapaltan central office after 75 days
Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) central office in Dhaka’s Nayapaltan was reopened this morning, nearly two and a half months after closure following clashes with police during the party’s grand rally on October 28, 2023.
Some BNP leaders and activists, led by the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, unlocked the collapsible gate of the office around 10:42 am.
They entered the office while shouting various slogans in the name of party founder Ziaur Rahman and Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
“We entered BNP’s central office by breaking the lock. A massive rally was foiled through a brutal crackdown by the government’s subservient law-enforcement agencies on October 28…later police locked the office,” said Rizvi.
Read: BNP leader Fakhrul gets bail in 9 cases, 2 more cases pending
He said BNP’s standing committee members, led by Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, will hold a press conference — on the national election held on January 7 — at the office at 3 pm.
The BNP leader said they will now clean the office for holding the press meet.
After the party’s grand rally was foiled halfway through on October 28 at Nayapaltan amid clashes with police, the collapsible gate of the BNP's office was closed with the deployment of a huge number of law enforcers in the area.
Members of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) marked the areas in front of the main gate of the BNP office with the crime scene tape inscribed with "Do not cross” to collect evidence for investigation into severe political violence.
Later, the CID's Crime Scene Unit collected evidence from the site and later removed the crime scene tape.
Read: BNP to continue street agitation until demands are met: Rizvi
Following the clashes, law enforcers launched a crackdown on senior BNP leaders and activists, and arrested BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and several other leaders, forcing most of them to go into hiding to avoid arrest.
Though thousands of BNP leaders and activists brought out a Victory Day rally on December 16 in Nayapaltan, they did not reopen their central office.
BNP finally reopened the office four days after the 12th parliamentary election that was boycotted by most opposition parties.
Election 2024: List of winners from Dhaka division
The Awami League won a comfortable two-thirds majority for a fourth election in a row on Sunday (January 07, 2024), in 299 out of 300 constituencies, and a strong showing by independent candidates as predicted.
Ruling party candidates won in 222 seats in Sunday’s election, while independent candidates — most of them belonging to AL — won 62 seats.
Read more: Election 2024: List of winners from Khulna division
Here’s the list of candidates from Dhaka division who won in the National Election 2024:
Election 2024: Awami League secures 16 out of 20 Dhaka seats
Though Awami League (AL) was determined to retain all 20 seats in Dhaka, it lost three seats to independent candidates, who did not get party nomination, and shared a seat with their alliance earlier.
In Dhaka-4, 5 and 19, the AL’s nominees were defeated by independent candidates. Among them, State Minister for Disaster and Relief Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman contested from Dhaka-19 constituency.
In Dhaka-4, independent candidate Awlad Hossain bagged 24,775 votes with truck symbol and defeated AL nominee Sanjida Khanam who got 22,577 votes in the election held at 77 centres.
In Dhaka-5, independent candidate Mashiur Rahman Mollah secured victory by bagging 50,631 votes with the truck symbol. He defeated AL candidate Harunur Rashid (Munna) by a margin of only 297 votes.
Read more: National Election: Palak wins 4th term
In Dhaka-19, with the truck symbol, independent candidate Saiful Islam got 84,412 votes while his nearest rival AL candidate Md. Enamur Rahman got 56,361 votes. Another independent candidate Talukder Md. Touhid Jung (Murad) secured 76, 202 votes.
The seats AL retained
In Dhaka-1, AL’s heavyweight candidate Salman F Rahman defeated Jatiya Party’s Salma Islam by a huge margin of 115,075 votes. He bagged 150,005 votes.
In Dhaka-2, AL's Quamrul Islam bagged 1,54,448 votes by crushing his nearest independent competitor Habibur Rahman who got 10,635 votes.
In Dhaka-3, the ruling AL’s heavyweight nominee Nasrul Hamid defeated JaPa’s Md Monir Sarkar by a huge difference of 129,864 votes.
Hamid bagged 132,732 votes while Monir got only 2,868 votes.
Read more: No pressure on voters to vote, but leaflets from ‘a party’ asking not to go, says FS quoting CEC
In Dhaka-6, Dhaka South City Corporation’s former mayor and AL candidate Sayeed Khokan earned a landslide victory against his rival Md Rabiul Alam Majumdar.
Khokan got 61,703 votes while Rabiul only 1,109 votes.
In Dhaka-7, JaPa’s Mohammad Saifuddin Ahmmed Milon was defeated by current lawmaker Haji Selim’s son Solaiman Selim. AL nominee Selim got 63,817 votes while Milon with plough symbol bagged 7,308 votes.
Dhaka-8 AL candidate AFM Bahauddin Nasim secured a landslide victory by a huge margin. He secured 46,610 votes while JaPa’s Md. Juber Alam Khan got only 880 votes.
In Dhaka-9, Saber Hossain Chowdhury from the AL secured 90,396 votes. His nearest rival Md Abul Kalam Azad of JaPa bagged 6,999 votes.
In Dhaka-10, popular actor Ferdous Ahmed, as a debutant candidate from the AL, got 65,898 votes while JaPa candidate Haji Md Shahjahan got only 2,257 votes.
In Dhaka-11, AL candidate Md Wakil Uddin won by defeating JaPa’s Shamim Ahmed. Wakil earned 83,885 votes while his rival bagged 2,747 votes.
In Dhaka-12, AL heavyweight candidate and current Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal got 94,689 votes while his rival Khorshed Alam bagged only 2,219 votes.
In Dhaka-13, AL leader Jahangir Kabir Nanak won from the seat with the boat symbol.
In Dhaka-14, AL's Mainul Hossain Khan won by achieving 53,540 votes while independent candidate Lutfar Rahman with got 17,914 votes.
In Dhaka-15, AL’s Kamal Ahmed Majumdar clinched victory by securing 39,632 votes while his rival from the JaPa, Shamsul Huq, got 2,044 votes.
In Dhaka-16, Ilias Ali Mollah from the AL won by defeating independent candidate Salauddin Rabin. Ilias got 65,631 votes while Rabin got 6,314 votes with the truck symbol.
In Dhaka-17, Prof Mohammad A Arafat was elected unofficially by bagging 48,059 votes with the boat symbol. His nearest rival from Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Ainul Haque, got 1,380 votes.
In Dhaka-18, though the AL shared the seat with JaPa, its candidate, GM Quaders’ wife Sherifa Quader, was defeated.
Independent candidate Md Khosru Chowdhury was unofficially elected by 79,085 votes while nearest rival Md Tofazzal Hossain bagged 44,909 votes with the truck symbol. Sherifa Quader got only 6,429 votes.
Dhaka-20 AL candidate Benazir Ahmed was unofficially elected with 83,709 votes. His nearest rival, independent candidate Md Atiqur Rahman bagged 6,413 votes with the scissors symbol.
Read more: Salman F Rahman wins again
Election 2024: 18.5% votes cast in 4 hours, says EC secretary
Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam on Sunday said 18.5% votes were cast during the first four hours of voting.
He shared this information at a press conference held at the Agargaon Election Commission (EC) building.
Menwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said he is not thinking about voter turnout and his job is to arrange the elections.
Election 2024: Voting underway amid low turnout, 1 death reported in Munshiganj
“I know nothing whether the voter turnout is low or high. I don’t think about the voter turnout. My job is to arrange the elections,” said Awal while talking to journalists after casting his vote at Habibullah Bahar College Centre in Dhaka.
Voting for the 12th National Parliamentary Election is underway since 8 am with reports of low voter turnout and sporadic violence.
Ballot boxes stuffed at night even in lopsided polls: Rizvi
UNB correspondents from Dhaka and across the country including Dinajpur, Chattogram, Bhola, Chapainawabganj, and Khulna have reported lower voter turnout than expected.
One was killed amidst reports of sporadic violence across the country.
2 candidates boycott polls over alleged irregularities in M’singh; presiding officer among 3 detained
Sheikh Rehana casts her vote at Gulshan Model High School centre
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana has cast her vote at Gulshan Model High School and College centre under Dhaka-17 constituency.
She went to the polling centre around 12:45 pm today and cast her vote.
Read: ‘Ecstatic that PM Sheikh Hasina came to vote for me alongside her daughter’: Ferdous
Her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Awami League-nominated candidate for Dhaka-17 constituency, Mohammad Ali Arafat, were with her at the time.
Election 2024: Voter turnout relatively higher in rural areas compared to Dhaka, says Foreign Secretary
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said voter turnout is relatively higher in rural areas compared to Dhaka, and expressed optimism over healthy turnout of voters as the day progresses.
“I couldn't cast my vote for many years as I was abroad. My father used to come with my mother. As my father passed away few years back, I came here to cast my vote with my mother,” he told reporters after casting his vote at the Teachers Training Centre under Dhaka-10 constituency.
Also read: People boycotting those who boycotted election: Obaidul Quader
Responding to a question, the Foreign Secretary said foreign observers are monitoring the polls since this morning and they are willing to share their impressions after voting is completed.
Over 127 foreign observers are monitoring the polls apart from journalists from overseas.
"So far, the environment is peaceful," he added.
The Election Commission is confident about holding the election through a transparent process, the Foreign Secretary said.
Turnout is a key factor but it needs to be seen whether the entire process was transparent and smooth, he said.
Asked about Western countries’ impression over the possible low voter turnout, the Foreign Secretary said it is for them to consider.
"If there is healthy turnout, it will go in favor of the election and its credibility," he said.
Also read: Knowing they will lose, BNP didn’t participate in the election: Home Minister
The Foreign Secretary also said the foreigners who interacted with him personally expressed their concerns over the deaths of people in arson attacks on trains.
The foreign observers and some of the diplomats are monitoring the polls. They will talk to the media after 5 pm today.
Also read: Momen urges all to cast their votes, calls BNP’s hartal ‘pretentious’
Momen urges all to cast their votes, calls BNP’s hartal ‘pretentious’
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged voters to go to polling centres to cast their votes.
The foreign minister made the call while talking to reporters after casting his vote at 10 am today.
When questioned about the lower-than-expected voter turnout, the foreign minister suggested that the ongoing holidays might be contributing to the low turnout.
Momen described BNP's ongoing hartal as “pretentious” and expressed satisfaction over the election environment.
“The country is experiencing a positive environment without any coercion. It's important to maintain the democratic process. Voting for us (Awami League) is in the people's best interest,” said the foreign minister.
People boycotting those who boycotted election: Obaidul Quader
People are boycotting those who boycotted the 12th National Parliamentary Election, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today.
“People are casting their votes spontaneously which proves the defeat of BNP and like-minded parties. This proves that voters have boycotted them,” he said while talking to reporters after casting his vote at Udayan Pre-Cadet Academy Centre at Basurhat municipality in Noakhali around 10:15 am.
Knowing they will lose, BNP didn’t participate in the election: Home Minister
President of Basurhat upazila unit of Awami League and Basurhat municipality mayor Abdul Quader Mirza, and leaders and activists of Awami League were present there.
Quiet Dhaka streets on Election Day amid tight security and transport restrictions
Election 2024: AL candidate supporter stabbed dead in Munshiganj
A supporter of the Awami League candidate was stabbed to death allegedly by supporters of the independent candidate at Tengor in Mirkadim of Munshiganj’s Sadar upazila this meeting.
The deceased was identified as Md Zillur, 42, a supporter of Awami League-backed candidate Mrinal Kanti Das of Munshiganj-3 constituency.
Quoting witnesses, Aslam Khan, superintendent of Munshiganj Police, said supporters of independent candidate Foysal Biplab attacked Zillur and stabbed him with a sharp weapon around 9:45 am, leaving him dead.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
A tense situation was prevailing in the area following the attack.
Election 2024: BNP activists try to bar voters, clash with police in Ctg’s Chandgaon area
A clash broke out between police and BNP activists in the Chandgaon area of Chattogram city this morning after leaders and activists of the opposition party tried to bar voters from casting their votes.
The clash broke out around 9 am, an hour after voting for the 12th parliamentary election began.
Also read: Election 2024: Voting at Narsingdi-4 polling centre cancelled over alleged irregularities
However, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Chandgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jahidul Kabir said that BNP leaders and activists barred voters from casting their votes in Chandgaon area.
On information, police rushed to the spot and chased them. BNP leaders and activists then began hurling brickbats at the police.
Members of law enforcement agencies are currently working to maintain law and order in the area, said OC Jahidul.
Also read: 12th Parliamentary Election: Voting begins amid opposition boycott