In the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) election, seven independent candidates have been elected in seven constituencies across the country. All of them were formerly leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). After failing to secure party nominations, they contested as independents and were known locally as ‘rebel’ BNP candidates.
Polling was held yesterday, Thursday, in 299 of the 300 parliamentary seats. Voting in Sherpur-3 was cancelled following the death of a Jamaat candidate. BNP is set to form the government after securing more than a two-thirds majority, returning to power after nearly two decades.
The winning independent candidates
In Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail, Ashuganj and part of Bijoynagar) constituency, independent candidate Rumeen Farhana (duck symbol) won by a large margin. According to unofficial results, she secured 117,495 votes, which is 37,568 more than her nearest rival, BNP alliance candidate Junaid Al Habib of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh. A former MP from BNP, she contested independently after being denied party nomination.
Independent candidate Lutfor Rahman Khan Azad, a former BNP leader and former state minister, won the Tangail-3 (Ghatail) constituency. Contesting with the motorcycle symbol, he received 107,901 votes. His nearest rival, BNP candidate Obaidul Haque Nasir, secured 82,769 votes. Lutfor Rahman was expelled from the BNP for contesting as a rebel candidate.
In Kishoreganj-5 (Bajitpur-Nikli) constituency, independent candidate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman won with 79,604 votes. He had been a BNP candidate in 2018. His nearest rival, BNP candidate Syed Ehsanul Huda, received 66,450 votes. Mujibur Rahman was expelled as president of Bajitpur Upazila BNP for contesting as a rebel.
Another independent candidate Abdul Hannan won with 74,175 votes in Chandpur-4 (Faridganj) constituency. Expelled from the upazila BNP, he defeated BNP candidate Md Harunur Rashid, who secured 69,155 votes.
In Cumilla-7 (Chandina) constituency, independent candidate Atiqul Alam, also known as Shawon, contesting with the pitcher symbol, received 91,690 votes. A former president of the upazila BNP, he had been expelled from the party. His nearest rival, BNP candidate Redowan Ahmed, secured 48,509 votes. Redowan is a former state minister.
Independent candidate Salman Omar won the Mymensingh-1 (Haluaghat and Dhobaura) constituency with 107,241 votes, according to unofficial results. His nearest rival, BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh, received 100,736 votes. Salman Omar was expelled from the party after contesting independently when denied nomination.
In the Dinajpur-5 constituency, independent candidate AZM Rezwanul Haque won with 114,484 votes. His nearest rival, Abdul Ahad of the National Citizen Party (NCP), secured 110,195 votes. The BNP’s official candidate in the constituency was AKM Kamruzzaman. Rezwanul Haque had been a member of the BNP’s national executive committee and was expelled for contesting as a rebel candidate.