Tangail-4 By-Polls: AL's Sohel Hazari elected

Awami League candidate Hasan Imam Khan Sohel Hazari won the parliamentary by-election to the Tangail-4 (Kalihati) constituency yesterday.

Sohel, contesting with boat symbol, bagged 1,93,547 votes.

Imrul Kayes of National People's Party (NPP) with mango symbol received 1,696 votes while the third contestant, Ataur Rahman Khan of Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) with television symbol secured 1,320 votes.

A total of 1,411 votes were cancelled.

Imrul, however, boycotted the election before the closing time raising allegations of serious irregularities, including casting of false votes by supporters of the ruling party candidate.

"I witnessed irregularities at every centre I visited," said Imrul. "The ruling party candidate's men were casting false votes at the polling centres in front of the polls officials."

Voting at Ballabhbari Primary School centre under Gohaliabari union was cancelled by the returning officer as false votes were cast for boat symbol the previous night, Election Commission sources said.

The presiding officer of the centre, Madhab Chandra Das, was detained in connection with irregularities, said Assistant Returning Officer Tajul Islam.

According to the EC, the constituency has a total of 3,07,700 voters, including 1,52,833 males and 1,54,867 females.

Tangail-4 constituency became vacant following the resignation of then minister Abdul Latif Siddique in 2015 after he was expelled from his party, the ruling AL, and the cabinet for "anti-religious remarks" he allegedly made in the US in September 2014.

The parliamentary seat was declared vacant by the Parliament Secretariat from September 1 and Latif tendered his resignation letter to the Speaker of the parliament. On September 15, 2015, the EC set October 28 of the same year for holding by-polls in the constituency.

The by-election was suspended due to legal complexities over the validity of candidacy of Krishak Sramik Janata League President Abdul Kader Siddique, also the younger brother of Latif.

The Supreme Court on January 18 this year upheld the cancellation of Kader Siddique's nomination and on January 24 the EC decided to proceed with the by-polls.