72 MPs enter parliament with less than 20pc votes

As many as 72 individuals have been elected MP with less than 20 per cent votes. Two of them got less than 10 per cent of the total votes. However, the percentage will be higher considering the rate of vote casting.

Around 42 per cent votes have been cast in this election. However, there are questions and doubts about the declared rate of vote cast. The election analysts say there is no legal barrier in becoming an MP like this. Being elected a MP uncontested is also legal as per the laws of the country.

However, questions remain as to whether becoming a public representative with such a low public support can establish proper democracy or the rule of the people’s consent or not.

The 9th general election held in 2008 is considered a credible one like the other elections held under caretaker government prior to that. The Awami League formed the government after winning the polls in 230 parliamentary seats in the general election of 2008.

None of the winning candidates got less than 32 per cent of the total votes in respective constituencies that time. Some 217 elected MPs from the ruling bagged 40 per cent to 84 per cent of the total votes.

There are controversies surrounding the two elections held after the 9th general polls. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had boycotted the 10th general election in 2014. Some 153 candidates of the ruling Awami League and its allies were elected uncontested. There are controversies surrounding the general elections of 2018 despite participation of all parties.

The Election Commission (EC) publishes a detailed report on the polls after every election. However, that wasn’t the case after the general elections of 2018.

Analysts say people’s interest in the polls started to decline after the parliamentary elections in 2014. People’s confidence in the EC and the electoral system deteriorated due to incidents like forceful occupation of polling centres and reports of irregularities during different polls.

It led the voters to develop some preconceptions such as voters are no longer important in determining the result as the main political opposition BNP is not in the election, all Awami League nominated candidates will win by default and the ruling party will come back to power through an election held under the partisan government. These are the reasons behind people losing interest in election related issues.

The voter turnout was quite low in the election held on 7 January. The winners of the polls have already taken oath as the MPs. Analysing the poll results declared by the EC, it has been found that 37 of the 72 newly elected MPs who got less than 20 per cent of total were Awami League nominated candidates. The remaining of these MPs includes 28 independent candidates, six Jatiya Party candidates and one Kalyan Party candidate.

The total number of voters was 369,129 in the Chandpur-4 constituency. Awami League candidate Shafiqur Rahman was elected MP from this constituency with 36,458 votes which is 9.87 per cent of total voters. Some 95,840 people cast votes in this constituency. As such, he got 38 per cent of the cast votes.

Awlad Hossain, newly elected independent MP from the Dhaka-4 constituency will join the parliament with the lowest public support. There were some 254,577 voters in this constituency. Awlad Hossain was elected MP with only 24,775 votes, which is only 9.73 per cent of the total voters. However, he bagged 43 per cent of the cast votes. Some 57,970 voters cast votes in this constituency.

Apart from Shafiqur Rahman and Awlad hossian, 25 more candidates got less than 15 per cent votes. Of them, Mashiur Rahman won the polls with less than 10.32 per cent votes as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-5 constituency. He is a former general secretary of Demra thana Awami League.

Awami League candidate from the Chattogram-11 constituency Abdul Latif was elected MP bagging only 10.24 per cent of the total votes. JaPa senior co-chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud was elected MP of the Chattogram-5 constituency with 10.72 per cent votes.

The other newly elected MPs who got less than 15 per cent votes are – independent candidate Saiful Islam from Dhaka-19 (11.16 per cent votes), JaPa candidate Shariful Islam Jinnah from Bogura-2 (11.33 per cent), AL candidate Kamal Ahmed Majumdar from Dhaka-15 (11.5 per cent), independent candidate Husamuddin Chowdhury from Sylhet-5 (11.72 per cent) and AL candidate Mamunur Rashid from the Noakhali-3 constituency (11.93 per cent votes).

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Shushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said, “Democracy is the rule of people’s consent. There are questions as to whether true representation of people can be ensured through an election like this.”

He further said, “The ruling party has always returned to power in cases of election under a partisan government. The BNP had boycotted the polls this time. Probably, people lost interest in the polls due to this. Even if the vote cast rate declared by the EC is correct, almost 60 per cent of the voters rejected the polls. To find out the reasons behind this is needed for the Awami League's own sake.”