Although the ruling Awami League did not field its official candidates for the Jatiya Party in 26 seats, the party could win only 11 seats, fielding 265 candidates in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election held on Sunday.
JP, the opposition in parliament, secured 23 lawmakers in the 11th parliament, but this time the number of its lawmakers came down to less than half.
A total of 265 JP candidates contested the general election, but no one could secure a seat where the AL fielded its candidates.
Against the backdrop, JP chairman Ghulam Mohammad Quader alleged on Monday that AL supervised a controlled election full of irregularities, including fake votes, ballot stuffing, occupying polling centres, removing polling agents, and creating obstacles for voters.
Quader, one of the 11 successful JP candidates, alleged that the candidates won following the will of the government, and it conducted neutral election in areas where it wanted to do so.
He made the remarks while talking to reporters at his home in Rangpur city.
‘The election was controlled by the government. It was fair where the government wanted. It was not fair in places where it did not want. I believe the government has taken steps to ensure the success of its candidates,’ he said.
‘Our evaluation is that the election would not be accepted globally,’ he added.
According to unofficial results, JP chairman GM Quader won from Rangpur-3, its secretary general Mujibul Haque Chunnu won from Kishoreganj-3, and co-chairmen Anisul Islam Mahmood and ABM Ruhul Amin Howladar won from Chattogram-5 and Patuakhali-1, respectively.
Alongside the JP’s four senior leaders, JP presidium members Masud Uddin Chowdhury from Feni-3, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed from Thakurgaon-3, Golam Kibria from Barishal-3, AKM Salim Osman from Narayanganj-5, Md Ashrafuzzaman from Satkhira-2, AKM Mostafizur Rahman from Kurigram-1, and Shariful Islam from Bogura-2 were elected unofficially.
All newly elected lawmakers except Howladar and Ashrafuzzaman are members of the 11th parliament.
AL withdrew from party candidates Thakurgaon-3, Nilphamari-3 and 4, Rangpur-1 and 3, Kurigram-1 and 2, Gaibandha-1 and 2, Bogura-2 and 3, Satkhira-2, Patuakhlai-1, Barishal-3, Pirojpur-3, Myemnsingh-5 and 8, Kishoreganj-3, Manikganj-1, Dhaka-18, Habiganj-1, Brahmanbaria-2, Feni-3, Chattogram-5, and Chattogram-8 in favour of JP.
The AL did not field any candidates for Narayangaj-5.
Asked about whether the JP would reject the poll results, Quader said that they were not rejecting the election results.
He said that the people did not get the scope to cast votes, and many had to face obstacles.
‘It is clear that 10 to 20 per cent votes were cast later and ballot stuffing took place in the rest of the areas,’ he alleged.
JP became a partner of the grand alliance with the ruling Awami League before the 2008 general election and became its allies.
Low turnout, violence, and rigged voting marked the 12th parliamentary election held on Sunday amid boycotts by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and some other major political parties.
Awami League has won 222 seats out of 298, independents got 62, and the Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-jasod, and Bangladesh Kalyan Party got one seat, respectively, according to the Election Commission.
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