'Voting at night': Your votes have already been cast—go home

The dictionary only has the word "vote," but if desired, another word could be added: ''nighttime vote''. This has become one of the most discussed terms in the country's politics over the past seven years.

On paper, the eleventh national parliamentary election took place on 30 December 2018. To understand what actually happened in the name of an election, let’s start with an incident from that morning. The incident occurred in Chittagong–10 constituency, at Dampara CMP Police Lines School and College center.

When two women and one man tried to entre the center to vote, several individuals rushed to them saying, "Your vote has already been cast, please leave."

The people preventing the voters that day all had hanging cards with photos and symbols of a boat, belonging to the Awami League's parliamentary candidate from Chittagong–10 constituency.

A reporter from Prothom Alo witnessed this incident. After this, an article on the inability to cast votes was published by Prothom Alo on 31 December 2018.

Similar incidences to those in Chittagong occurred in Narayanganj-5 constituency too. Around 1:45pm that day, a Prothom Alo reporter saw voters attempting to enter the Amalpada Government Girls School centre to vote, but were being stopped by police and Ansar members.

In the line that day, a man named Sohag Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo, "I’ve been in line to vote since 10:30am, but until 1:45pm, we couldn’t vote, claiming there were no ballot papers."

An article about the inability to vote despite being in line was also published by Prothom Alo.

Another incident can be mentioned: at around 9am that day, a Prothom Alo reporter went to Belashwar Government Primary School centre in Comilla-7 (Chandina) constituency. A voter there told Prothom Alo, "If you attempt to vote, they ink your finger but do not give a ballot paper, claiming your vote has already been cast."

Specific details and descriptions of many such events where votes were cast before scheduled time or voters were obstructed are available in the Prothom Alo newspaper published on 31 December 2018.

The issue of votes being cast during the night was mentioned in an official letter to the then-chief election commissioner by BNP after noon on 30 December.

A delegation from the party took this letter to the Election Office in Agargaon, Dhaka. The letter stated that with the support of the law enforcement personnel, election officials, and administration, at least 400-500 stamped ballots marked for the boat symbol were placed in the ballot boxes at every voting centre across at least 150 constituencies on the night of 29 December.

The sub-head of a piece published in Prothom Alo on 31 December 2018, regarding BNP's letter was titled “Stamping in 150 constituencies at night.”

In the Eleventh National Parliamentary Election of 2018, BNP participated under the ''National Unity Front'' banner. Since Jamaat's registration was canceled, 21 leaders from the party participated in the election using the sheaf of paddy symbol.

Dr. Kamal Hossain, then-president of Gono Forum, was the main leader of this election alliance. Formed in October 2018, initially, the Unity Front consisted of four parties: BNP, Gono Forum, JSD, and Nagorik Oikya, later adding Krishak Sramik Janata League. Yet, the 20-party coalition led by BNP was still active.

On the night of 30 December, that very night, the National Unity Front officially rejected the Eleventh National Parliamentary Election. At a quarter past eight that night, top leader Dr. Kamal Hossain announced in a press conference at his Bailey Road residence that reports of vote rigging had arrived from almost all constituencies and demanded an immediate annulment of this farcical election along with a call for a re-election under a non-partisan government.

At the same press conference, National Unity Front spokesperson and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated that, today’s election (the Eleventh National Parliamentary) was a cruel farce with the nation, causing harm to the nation.

Eleven days after the Eleventh National Parliamentary Elections, on 11 January 2019, the candidates from the Left Democratic Alliance conducted a public hearing at the Auditorium of the National Press Club. There, candidates of the left alliance stated that in this unprecedented fake vote, the Awami League had already won the night before. Voters were cheated and dishonoured on election day. The Election Commission, law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and the administration collectively worked to ensure the Awami League’s victory.

At the day-long public hearing titled “Various Scenarios of Vote Theft, Seizure, and Irregularities,” 82 candidates shared their experiences. Several remarked that it was a disgraceful election.

In that election, 147 candidates from the Left Democratic Alliance contested in 131 seats. In his presidential address at the hearing, the then-general secretary of CPB, Md Shah Alam (later became president, now a central committee member) stated, “Police, RAB, intelligence agencies, and the administration executed a mega project of fake votes.”

At the hearing, chief coordinator of the Ganosamhati Andolon, Zonayed Saki, said, “On the election eve itself, depending on the centre, 30 to 50 per cent of the votes were stamped and box-filled.”

Many observing these events in centres also reported no significant voter crowd by 9:30am, yet the ballot boxes were full.

Zonayed Saki further claimed in that hearing, there hasn’t been a more disgraceful election in Bangladesh's history.

In the Narsingdi-4 constituency, CPB candidate Kazi Sajjad Zahir Chandan stated at the hearing that, “The day before the election, a presiding officer of one centre in my electoral area confessed to me that they were instructed by the administration to have 35 per cent of votes stamped the night before. It increased to 45 per cent under pressure from the Awami League.”

Prothom Alo headlined “Voters Were Cheated and Dishonoured” on 12 January 2019, on the front page regarding the public hearing of the Left Democratic Alliance candidates.

Six months after the Eleventh National Parliamentary Election, the Election Commission (EC) published the results based on voting centres.

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) held a press conference on 9 July 2019. At that press conference, SHUJAN Secretary Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar referred to the Eleventh Parliamentary Election as a “mine of anomalies.”

At the same press conference, Supreme Court lawyer Shahdeen Malik mentioned, “The centre-based vote results clearly show that the commission conducted fraud.”

Regarding unbelievable irregularities in the eleventh parliamentary election, Prothom Alo published six analytical reports between 22 July and 28 July 2019. Among them, the piece titled "Saga of 100pc Votes" published on 22 July 2019, elaborated on the 213 voting centres in 103 constituencies reporting 100 per cent vote turnouts.

In another analysis titled “All Legal Votes Went to Boat” published by Prothom Alo on 24 July 2019, it stated that in 587 centres across 75 constituencies, all the legal votes went to candidates with the boat symbol.

Among these constituencies, Awami League candidates won in 74, and the candidate from the Worker's Party, an Awami League-led grand alliance ally, won one. However, the Worker's Party candidate also contested with the boat symbol.

The questionably high voter turnout rates in these instances were mentioned in the interim government-formed investigation commission's report. The report included 100 per cent voting in 213 centres and all legal votes in favour of the boat symbol in 587 centres. The interim government published the commission's 326-page report on 14 January this year.

According to the commission's report, on the night before the 30 December 2018, election, ballot stamping filling boxes had occurred in 80 per cent of centres nationwide. The stamping process began at 10pm, continuing until 3pm. The commission interviewed 30 presiding officers and assistant presiding officers, of whom 27 acknowledged pre-night ballot stamping at their centres. According to their testimony, the stamping was completed between 10pm to 3am.

During the Eleventh National Parliamentary Election in 2018, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun was the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Dhaka Range Police. He was appointed as police chief or Inspector General of Police (IGP) on 30 September 2022. He was IGP during the July uprising.

After the fall of the Awami League government during the July uprising (5 August 2024), Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun was arrested on 3 September last year. Multiple cases were filed against him for crimes against humanity in the International Crimes Tribunal. In one such case, he confessed to a crime as an approver or witness and mentioned the nighttime voting of the 2018 elections.

In a statement given to the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on 24 March 2025, Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun said, “I’ve heard that the then-IGP (during the 2018 election) Javed Patwary advised former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to fill ballot boxes at night with about 50 per cent of ballots. Instructions to fill boxes at night and cast votes were sent from the field level on behalf of the government. With the collaboration and initiative of political leaders, district administrations, DCs, UNOs, AC Lands, SPs, and Officer-in-Charges played pivotal roles. Subsequently, BPM and PPM awards in the police promotions would consider the politically active officers in the election.”

During the Eleventh Parliamentary Elections, Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar was one of the election commissioners. On 7 February, 2022, his extensive interview was published in Prothom Alo.

The interview was conducted by Prothom Alo's senior reporter Riadul Karim. In that interview, the question was asked about Mahbub Talukdar's own assessment of the Eleventh Parliamentary Election. He answered, "The Eleventh National Parliamentary Election offered us nothing but the shame of failure."

In response to another question, Mahbub Talukdar mentioned that the night before the Eleventh National Parliamentary Election, a picture of a ballot box filled with ballot papers was published by a BBC journalist. There was no way to refute the allegation because it was an established truth.

During the 2018 election, the issue of nighttime voting was discussed among various foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka. However, no diplomat from any country made public comments on the matter.

Nine months after the nighttime vote, Ito Naoki took office as the Japanese ambassador to Dhaka. He served from October 2019 to December 2022.

While serving as the Japanese ambassador, Ito Naoki remarked on 1 November 2022, at a ''Meet the Ambassador'' event organised by a private research organisation, the Center for Governance Studies, in response to a question, “I heard that during the 2018 election, police officers filled ballot boxes the night before. I haven’t heard of such examples in any other country.”

*This article, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online editions, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam.