AL 127, Jatiya Party 21
The names of three more single candidates who are set to be elected uncontested reached the Election Commission secretariat on Sunday, two days after the expiry of deadline for withdrawal of candidatures on Friday.
With the three names, the number of unopposed winners now stands at 154 in the January 5 national election, a new record in the country’s election history.
The three candidates are Mashiur Rahman Ranga (Rangpur-1), Shawkat Chowdhury (Nilphamari-4) and Fakhrul Imam (Mymensingh-8), all are of HM Ershad’s Jatiya Party.
Of the total unopposed winners, 127 candidates of ruling Awami League, 21 of Jatiya Party, three of Inu-led Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), two of Menon-led Bangladesh Workers Party, the rest one of Manju-led Jatiya Party.
On Saturday night, the number of single candidates was 151, according to unofficial data of the EC secretariat.
The number of uncontested winners has surpassed that of the largely-boycotted Feb-15 (1996) controversial election when 49 BNP candidates were elected uncontested.
The returning officers (ROs) concerned were supposed to publish notifications on Saturday last declaring the lone candidates elected unofficially across the country.
In the Feb-15 (1996) one-sided election, 49 BNP candidates were elected MP uncontested. The election in 10 constituencies could not be held due to widespread violence. BNP won 279 parliamentary seats out of 290 in the sixth general election as it was largely boycotted.
However, no candidate was elected unopposed in the four participatory national elections – 1991 (fifth), 1996 (seventh), 2001 (eight) and 2008 (ninth) after the fall of HM Ershad’s autocratic regime.
In the scrapped 2007 (Jan 22) election, 18 candidates of BNP were elected uncontested. The election was cancelled after the 1/11 political changeover.
In the 1988 fourth national election, 18 candidates were elected uncontested, while 11 candidates elected unopposed in the 1986 third election.
On November 25, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad declared the election schedule.
Source:UNB Connect
