Netra News January 7th 2024
The nationwide voter turnout was around 28% average, this is based on latest (21:00 Bangladesh time) data gathered from the Election Commission dashboard. We will be publishing a detailed report once our team is done crunching the numbers. Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we will be closing this liveblog now.
In an election with an overall voter turnout of about 27% in seven hours, notable disparities emerged in the voting behaviours of two distinct constituencies: one in Gopalganj and the other in Khagrachari.
In Gopalganj-3, at the Pashchim Unashiya Government Primary School centre, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was a candidate, an extraordinary 100% of the votes were cast, as reported by the presiding Officer. Out of the centre’s 3,323 votes, Hasina received 2,915 votes, constituting 87% of the total and 99.72% of the valid votes. The remaining votes were split between a meagre 8 for the other candidates and 400 invalid votes.
A similar scenario unfolded at the Barshapara Primary School centre in the same constituency. With a total of 2,482 registered voters, 2,303 participated, resulting in a turnout of 92.7%. Remarkably, Hasina secured all the votes, with no invalid votes or votes for other candidates. She bagged 100% of the valid votes at this centre.
Overall, Sheikh Hasina triumphed in the election with 249,962 votes, vastly outpacing her nearest rival, Sheikh Abul Kalam, who garnered just 460 votes. In the Gopalganj-3 constituency, she obtained 86% of the total votes, contributing to a near 90% turnout.
In stark contrast, the Khagrachari centres were virtually abandoned. Manabzamin reported a nil voter turnout in 19 centres, attributed to the boycott by the influential UPDF party.
At the Dhudukchara Government Primary School centre, none of the 3,427 registered voters cast their ballots. Another centre in the constituency saw a paltry four of 3,075 voters participate, with only three valid votes, all favouring the Awami League’s candidate Kujendra Lal Tripura, leading to a turnout of just 0.13%.
: Following a tumultuous polling day marked by violence and low turnout, Bangladesh now turns its attention to the ongoing vote counting process. Sunday’s general election, overshadowed by allegations of irregularities and an opposition boycott, concluded with a reported voter participation of just 27.15% by 3:00 pm. As the nation awaits the results, the spotlight is on the integrity and transparency of the counting procedures, amid a backdrop of widespread concerns over the fairness of the election.
The Election Commission, responsible for overseeing the counting, faces a significant challenge in ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the final tallies. The vote counting, conducted at various polling centres across the country, is a critical phase where the Election Commission’s efficiency and impartiality are under close scrutiny.
This election has been fraught with challenges. The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and several others boycotted the polls, demanding elections under a neutral caretaker government.
Summarised from the New Age.
: The chairman of the Jatiya Party, GM Quader, expressed concerns regarding the potential misuse of the election process, suggesting that his party might be sacrificed to establish a one-party rule under the guise of a fair election. He made these remarks while visiting the voting centres in the Rangpur-3 constituency.
Quader reported incidents where Jatiya Party agents were expelled from voting centres in Jamalpur and Comilla, likening the situation to past practices of the Awami League in occupying voting centres and rigging elections. Despite assurances to the contrary, he observed an atmosphere being created that suggested the elections might not proceed normally. He was particularly concerned about reports from various areas, noting that the voting process seemed irregular in most places. He also referenced the 2018 elections, indicating that similar patterns were emerging, with the opposition facing obstacles in many places.
Quader mentioned that the party was deeply worried about these developments.
Summarised from Prothom Alo.
Reports about low voter turnout, clashes and vote rigging (ballot stuffing) abound. Our reporters on the ground are yet to see any street presence of BNP, the main opposition party boycotting the election. While BNP online campaigning is in full swing, party leaders and grassroots are staying off the streets, and there is no discernible attempt by them to enforce a boycott through force. A picture completely different from 2014. Lots of speculation about the BNP resorting to massive violence on this election day proving to be wrong. A few more hours to go before polling closes.
The Daily Star is reporting:
“The percentage of votes cast in the 12th parliamentary election till 12:10 pm was 18.5 percent. Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam confirmed the information in a press briefing at the EC Secretariat this afternoon.”
A video shared with Netra News by a journalist depicts numerous ballots discovered at a Cumilla-7 centre, all stamped in support of the Awami League candidate. In the 24-second clip, at least 8 stuffed ballots are visible, each with a seal on the boat, the electoral emblem of the Awami League. Netra News has confirmed that the names and symbols of all seven candidates on the ballots seen in the video correspond with those allocated to the seven contestants in this year’s election. The independent candidate in the constituency was observed near the centre, questioning polling officials about the ballot stuffing by Awami League activists.
Netra News has geolocated the video’s location to the Dollai Nawabpur Primary School polling centre in the Dollai Nawabpur Union of Chandina Upazila, situated within the Cumilla-7 constituency. The Awami League’s nominated candidate for this constituency is Pran Gopal Datta, ex-Vice-Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka and a prominent figure in the pro-Awami League doctors’ association, Swachip. He is the current MP for the constituency.
Muntakim Ashraf — the independent candidate for the constituency and son of former MP Ali Ashraf — has released a series of Facebook live streams from various Chandina upazila centres, alleging massive vote rigging in favour of the Awami League candidate. These videos are accessible on his Facebook page.
Thanks to The Daily Star, we have more details from polling stations nationwide. Here are the “first hours” turnout in six polling locations:
- Dhaka-19: Savar Islamia Kamil Madrasa Centre
- Total votes cast by 9:31 am: 175 votes
- Dhaka-2: Al Nasir Laboratory School
- Total votes cast by 8:30 am: 0 vote
- Dhaka-2: Legend International School
- Total votes cast by 8:30 am: 0 vote
- Jhenaidah: Baliadanga Secondary School
- Total votes cast by 9:30 am: 99 votes
- Sylhet-6: Panchakhanda Horgovinda School
- Total votes cast by 9:40 am: 122 votes
- Rajshahi-2: Rajshahi Bholanath Bisweswar Hindu Academy
- Total votes cast in the first hour: 65 votes
After casting his ballot in a polling centre in Dhaka, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal told reporters:
“I don’t know whether the turnout of voters is low or high. I came and cast my vote. The duty of the Election Commission is to organise the vote. It is not our job to see whether people come to vote or not.”
In response to a question about whether he is concerned about low voter turnout, he said:
“I don’t worry about these things. My job is to organise the vote. Who will come to vote, who will not, what violence will occur, what will not, that is for our law enforcement agencies to handle.”
Election authorities suspended voting at a polling station in Narshingdi-4, according to The Business Standard, following reports of ballot stuffing, which were captured on a recorded video.
Matiur Rahman, an election official, told the newspaper that shortly after voting started, a group of 8-10 individuals tried to snatch ballot papers from the presiding officer at the Ibrahimpur Government Primary School polling center. He also said that these individuals stamped ballots for the purpose of ballot box stuffing.
Earlier, a video released by the BNP Media Cell on Facebook showed ballots being stuffed in favor of the Awami League’s candidate, Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, who is a member of Prime Minister Hasina’s cabinet.
