United News of Bangladesh

Independent candidate Atikul Alam Shawon has won the Cumilla-7 seat in the 13th national election by a wide margin. Shawon, contesting on the “Pitcher” symbol, received 90,819 votes, said Assistant Returning Officer and Chandina Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Ashraful Haque at 11:45pm on Thursday night. His closest rival, BNP-nominated candidate Dr. Redwan Ahmed, representing the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol, obtained 47,925 votes. Other candidates included Maulana Solaiman Khan of Khelafat Majlish with 24,597 votes on the “Wall Clock” symbol, Maulana Ehteshamul Haq Qasemi of Islami Andolan Bangladesh with 14,080 votes on the “Hand Fan” symbol, and Sajol Kumar Kar of the Cultural Liberation Alliance with 259 votes on the “Stick” symbol. A total of 182,274 votes were cast in the constituency, representing 56.35 percent of the 329,166 registered voters. After 4,594 invalid votes, the number of valid votes stood at 177,680. The District Returning Officer, Mu. Reza Hasan, will announce the unofficial results of the elected MPs, including postal votes, on Friday.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Thursday dismissed allegations of manipulation over voter turnout percentages released during the balloting process, saying such variations are natural as results from thousands of polling centres arrive at different times. "There were debates over the voter turnout percentage in the past (elections) as well. Please don’t question it now,” he said at a post-election briefing at 10pm on Thursday night. The CEC, however, didn’t release the overall voter turnout percentage at the briefing.  Addressing concerns raised over changes in reported vote percentages, he said questions often emerge immediately after results start coming in, with some people pointing out that the turnout or counting percentage stood at 8 percent at one point and rose to 20 percent a few hours later. Explaining the procedure, the CEC said results from more than 42,000 polling centres are received gradually and added cumulatively as they arrive at the Election Commission. “When results come from such a large number of centres at different times, there will naturally be variations in the overall percentage,” he said, adding that this does not indicate any irregularity. The CEC categorically denied any manipulation or hidden motive behind the changing figures. “There is no game of manipulation here and no other intention,” he said. “We are simply doing addition and calculation and announcing the cumulative results accordingly.” He also clarified that the Election Commission itself is not issuing any independent or unilateral results. “We do not want to give any ‘official’ result of our own,” the CEC said. According to him, the only results considered in the counting process are those sent directly from the field by the returning officers, duly signed and authenticated by them. “The results that the returning officers send from the field with their signatures are the ones we include in our calculation,” he said, stressing that the process is entirely transparent and based on official documentation from the grassroots level. The clarification comes amid ongoing public discussion and scrutiny over the pace and pattern of result updates as vote counting continues across the country. Earlier in the afternoon, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said some 47.91 percent of registered voters had cast their ballots by 2pm at 36,031 out of 42,651 polling centres across the country. He said the commission has yet to receive turnout data from 6,620 centres, he told reporters at the EC secretariat in the afternoon. The referendum and the 13th parliamentary election were held simultaneously from 7:30am to 4:30pm on Thursday in a festive and peaceful atmosphere in 299 out of 300 constituencies across the country.

Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Thursday said the referendum and 13th parliamentary election held on Thursday (February 12) could be considered very good by any standard in the history of the country’s elections. “If you judge it by any standard in the history of this country and its electoral history, it can be considered a very good election,” he said at a post-election briefing at 10:00pm on Thursday night at the city’s Nirbachan Bhaban. The CEC said his commission had successfully delivered to the nation a quite neutral and credible election in line with its commitment. “We have all been able to deliver to the nation the election with collective efforts. We are grateful to the Almighty. We believe that our efforts and works have been a success,” he said. Nasir Uddin said they had promised to present the nation a fully neutral and credible election amid a festive environment. “We believe that we’ve been able to do so,” he said. The referendum and the 13th parliamentary election were held on Thursday in a festive and peaceful atmosphere in 299 out of 300 constituencies across the country.

BNP Joint Secretary General and Lakshmipur-3 (Sadar) constituency candidate Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee on Wednesday clarified the circumstances surrounding Tk 15 lakh that was found in his vehicle in Laxmipur on Wednesday evening. In a video shared on his verified Facebook account, Anee said the Tk 15 lakh was intended for election-related expenses. He said authorities had already released his agents after confirming that the money was being used as centre fees. “There is nothing to be confused about. Those who are making news about this are doing it completely on purpose to tarnish my image. I strongly condemn this,” he added.

Renowned photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam has expressed frustration over the Election Commission’s role in preventing irregularities surrounding Thursday’s national election. In a Facebook post in the early hours of Thursday, he wrote that the posts he had been sharing might not be representative, as they were based solely on information sent to him. “I have no way of knowing how much rigging is going on or who is doing the most rigging. But it is clear that the situation is rampant, and that the EC is largely ineffective,” he wrote. He said that while during the Awami League’s tenure there was “only one party,” it now appears to be “a free for all.” “Given what I am already seeing, I see no way in which this election can be described as being ‘free, fair and inclusive’,” he added. Shahidul said the interim government had achieved mixed success. “While we may forgive its failures in some areas, the inability to hold a proper election will ruin its entire credibility,” he wrote. He warned that unless immediate and effective steps are taken to curb irregularities and bring violators to justice, the situation would become a “permanent stain” on the administration. “Too many have shed too much blood for our country to be reduced to this,” he added. However, upon trawling through his social media handles, only one post related to alleged vote rigging was found.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) on Wednesday alleged that the brother of its Kurigram-2 candidate Atiq Mujahid was attacked. In a Facebook post, the party claimed that Ashiq, brother of the NCP-nominated candidate, was attacked by Chhatra Dal President Amimul, Shaon, Sohel and around 35 BNP activists. The NCP said Ashiq was being taken to Rangpur for treatment. The party demanded immediate legal action over the incident.

After 17 years of waiting, the people of Bangladesh went to polls on Thursday morning for a historic national election, hoping to restore true democracy and secure a powerful mandate for national reforms. The voting that began at 7:30am will continue until 4:30pm without any break at 42,659 polling stations in 299 out of 300 constituencies across the country amid the presence of nearly one million security personnel and another one million polling staff.  Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman will cast their votes at the Gulshan Model School and College centre in the capital. The Chief Adviser will cast his vote at 10am, according to his press wing. Tarique Rahman is expected to cast his vote between 9:30am and 10am, said Shamsuddin Didar, a staff member of the BNP chairperson’s media wing. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman will cast his vote at Monipur centre at 8am.  However, the election to Sherpur-3 constituency was postponed following the death of a contesting candidate. The voters would choose 299 public representatives out of 2,028 candidates on Thursday from 299 constituencies, including nominees of 50 political parties and independent contenders, in the 13th national election. A total of 127,298,522 voters (in 299 constituencies) are eligible to cast their ballots in Thursday’s elections. Of them, 64,620,077 are male voters, 62,677,232 are female voters and 1,213 are third-gender voters. The country has a total of 127,711,899 voters in 300 constituencies. Two major political parties – BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami— are in the electoral race seeking public mandate to govern the country for the next five years. But Awami League is not in the electoral race this time after 30 years as the party boycotted the 15th February election held in 1996. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Wednesday reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to delivering a peaceful, credible and participatory election. “I wish to reaffirm the election commission's unwavering commitment to delivering a peaceful, credible and participatory election,” he said while briefing international election observers and foreign journalists in the city. The briefing was arranged at a city hotel on the eve of the Referendum 2026 and 13th Parliamentary Election to be held on Thursday (Feb 12). The CEC said transparency in the voting and counting process will be ensured. “Voters irrespective of gender, age or background are encouraged to participate freely,” he said. The CEC said ballots are issued only after proper identification and voting is conducted in secrecy in accordance with the prescribed rules. Any electoral dispute will be addressed strictly in accordance with established legal and constitutional procedures, he added. “Transparency remains a cornerstone of our election management,” he said, adding that approximately 330 international observers and more than 160 international journalists are independently covering the elections. Noting that special emphasis was placed on voter registration, he said, “Through a nationwide voter list update, approximately 4.5 million new voters have been enrolled, including 2.7 million women, bringing the total number of registered voters to over 127 million with a high level of data accuracy.”

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Wednesday night urged voters to cast their ballots for “honest, competent and patriotic” candidates in Thursday’s national election. In a Facebook post, he called on “dear patriotic voters” to exercise their franchise out of love for the country and a sense of responsibility. “Cast your valuable vote for an honest, competent and patriotic candidate. Do not put your country in danger for a small amount of money,” he wrote. In another post, the Jamaat Ameer warned that rumours were circulating and urged people not to pay heed to them. “Please be careful. Do not pay attention to these rumours,” he added. A total of 127,298,522 voters (in 299 constituencies) are eligible to cast their ballots in this election. Of them, 64,620,077 are male voters, 62,677,232 are female voters and 1,213 are third-gender voters. The country has a total of 127,711,899 voters (in 300 constituencies) –64,825,154 males, 62,885,525 females and 1,220 third-gender.

BNP Standing Committee Member and Chairman of the party’s Central Election steering Committee Nazrul Islam Khan on Wednesday urged party leaders, activists and voters to guard polling centres in shifts to ensure a free and fair election. He made the call at an emergency press conference held at the BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan on Wednesday night. Nazrul alleged that various “illegal activities” are taking place in different parts of the country and expressed concern over incidents involving activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP. “Through you, we request all our leaders and activists, as well as the people of the country, to ensure that what we are about to achieve after years of struggle is not obstructed,” he said. “You will guard the polling centres in shifts. Everyone will go to the polling stations, cast their votes and remain there until the results are announced,” Nazrul added. He said the party wants the election to be held in a free, fair and neutral manner. “Our goal is to establish a strong democratic government with the support of the people and to ensure the welfare of the country in the coming days. Referring to alleged incidents in Dhaka, Thakurgaon, Shariatpur, Noakhali and other areas, Nazrul claimed that there have been attempts to infiltrate polling centres and engage in financial transactions. He also mentioned a reported incident at Saidpur Airport involving the recovery of money from a local leader. “We want tomorrow’s election to be free, fair and neutral. Many of our colleagues have sacrificed their lives for this. We want the democratic rights of the people to be established,” the BNP leader said. He said if entrusted with responsibility, their party will work to implement its election manifesto. Nazrul also protested what he described as “false reports” regarding the recovery of money from the vehicle of Shahid Uddin Chowdhury, the BNP candidate for Laxmipur-3. Members of the party’s election steering committee, including Ismail Zabihullah and Mahdi Amin, and BNP Chairman’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, were present at the briefing.

A delegation of Turkish election observers met BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman at his Gulshan office on Wednesday night ahead of tomorrow’s national election. The delegation, visiting Bangladesh to observe the 13th National Parliament election and concurrent referendum, arrived at the Chairman’s office for the courtesy meeting, said BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. The Turkish observers are due to monitor the polling process on Thursday (Feb 12) across the country. At the meeting, BNP Joint Secretary General Humayun Kabir and the Chairman’s Adviser Enamul Haq Chowdhury were present alongside Tarique Rahman.