BNP nominated candidate Golam Mohammad Siraj has secured victory in the Bogura-6 by-election by a big margin of votes.
Siraj bagged 89,782 votes while his nearest contestant, Awami League nominated candidate T Zaman Niketa, got 32,297 votes in the by-election, Zakir Hossain, Bogura Sadar upazila election officer, announced the result.
Around 34.55 per cent votes were cast in the by-election. There are total 387,458 voters in the constituency, our Bogura correspondent reports quoting the election official.
The by-election to the parliamentary constituency began around 9:00am and continued till 5:00pm without any break amid very low turnout of voters at many polling stations.
Photo: STAR/ Mostafa Shabuj
However, no irregularities were reported from any polling centre as the Election Commission (EC) took all necessary preparations to hold the by-polls smoothly using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The constituency was declared vacant as BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who was elected from the parliamentary seat in the December 30 general election, did not take oath as MP within the 90 days from the date of the first meeting of the Jatiya Sangsad.
Nurul Islam Omar of Jatiya Party, Mansur Rahman of Bangladesh Congress, Mufti Rafiqul Islam of Muslim League and independent candidate Md Minhaz Mondal also contested in the by-polls.
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BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said that the entire nation is disappointed as Awami League did not outline any plan during its national council to get rid of the country’s prevailing crisis.
“Awami League has been working to establish one-party rule in the country since the last decade and the desire exposed during its council,” Fakhrul said while addressing a programme at the party’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka this noon.
Blaming the ruling party for destroying the country’s democratic system and ignoring its charter, Fakhrul said, “The entire nation has expected that they would see a path to retrieve the smashed democracy, but Awami League met an utter failure to show any guideline.”
Citing the country’s political and social and economic crises, the BNP leader said, “A person and a party have been praised during the council instead of getting rid the nation from the debacle.”
Responding to a query about his party’s council, he said, “We are passing through an adverse situation as no space is being given us for politics.”
The party’s organisational activities are being hampered everywhere even the party’s district and upazila level councils are being barred deliberately, the BNP leader said.
Responding to a remark of a minister that BNP-Jamaat is involved in preparing Razakars’ list, Fakhrul said, “It is nothing but an attempt to shift the blame to on another shoulder. It’s not a new and its Awami League characteristic.”
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Dr Shamaruh Mirza, daughter of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, has been honoured with Australia's most prestigious – "Australian of the Year" -- award.
The award was handed over at National Gallery of Australia around 11am local time today (November 9, 2022).
Last year's winner Luke Ferguson and ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr handed over the award to Shamaruh.
Dr Shamaruh told The Daily Star over phone that, "It's not like that I alone have gotten the award. Our organisation 'SiTara's Story' and everyone associated with it received the award. This honour is also for the people of Bangladesh."
"I think such a big achievement adds to our responsibility and reminds us that we have a lot more to do," she said.
Shamaruh Mirza is a medical scientist. Since 2006, she has been living in Canberra, the capital of Australia.
The "Australian of the Year Award" is a programme of the National Australia Day Council. The nation presents this award each year to recognise the services and achievements of well-known Australians who serve as role models for all citizens. They challenge themselves to help develop an inclusive, resilient Australia, and they serve as an inspiration for the country through their achievements.
The "Best Australians of the Year" are chosen from 32 states and territories by the National Australia Day Council Board. On the eve of Australia Day in Canberra, the names of national award recipients were announced to end this year's prestigious event.
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BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has tested Covid-19 positive.
He is at home, under the supervision of Dr Raiyhan Rabbani, Syrul Kabir Khan, an official of Khaleda Zia's press wing, told The Daily Star.
Earlier, Fakhrul tested positive for Covid-19 on January 11 this year.
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BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today alleged that the ruling Awami League is heading towards the path of “dynastic politics with an aim to materialise a one-party state” in the country.
“Who are being nominated? Who are being made chiefs of different wings of a party? You will come to understand if you pay a little attention. Only one party and one family are controlling everything. After all, a dynastic rule is on,” Fakhrul said.
While addressing a programme at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Fakhrul termed the government as “monstrous” and called upon people to join the movement against the ruling quarter for a fresh election under a neutral Election Commission.
Awami League has nominated Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, nephew of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the party’s mayoral runner to Dhaka South City Corporation elections.
Earlier, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, who is also a nephew of Sheikh Hasina, has been elected as president Awami League youth wing Jubo League.
Pointing finger at both the leaders, Fakhrul said the ruling Awami League has completed all arrangement to turn Bangladesh into a one-party state.
Fakhrul said the ruling party is heading towards the path of dynastic politics ignoring all achievements of the Liberation War and destroying all organs of the state.
The BNP leader alleged that the government is appointing teachers to different public universities, including Dhaka University, based on political consideration instead of merit and competence.
Apart from this, he said teachers “with very poor educational background and poor competence” are now being made vice chancellors of different public universities only for political interest.
“The same thing is happening in appointing and recruiting judges with a motive to establish absolute supremacy in all sectors,” the BNP leader alleged.
Claiming that the country’s economy has been made an empty vessel, Fakhrul said the government is engaged in hatching conspiracy to make the state dysfunctional.
Fakhrul was speaking at a civic condolence meeting arranged by Zia Parishad at the National Press Club in memory of its founding chairman Kabir Murad, who passed away recently.
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Hearing the ruling party's general secretary say that the BNP's October 28 rally in the capital would face a similar reaction as did the one on December 10 last year, we can now gauge what the intention of the government is. Perhaps, many of us have already started adjusting our diaries, out of fear of violence or to avoid harassment in the name of heightened security. The possibility of another unannounced shutdown (better to be called a hartal enforced by the supporters of the ruling party) may also encourage them to leave Dhaka simply to avoid any additional suffering.
The warning given to BNP by Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader for its expressed intent is undoubtedly worrying and deplorable. On the other hand, it is also an admission that the government did crack down on the opposition on December 7, 2022, for which they had so far put the blame on BNP's alleged subversive activities.
Many questions still remain unanswered as to why the government was so desperate to deter BNP from holding a mass rally in front of the latter's central office, to the extent that police had to storm the party office in Nayapaltan, clear the whole area, and term it a no-go zone for about a week. Can anyone forget that a simple dispute over a venue had caused so much trouble not even a year ago?
There's little doubt that the government's refusal to participate in open talks with the opposition – and find a way of holding a credible election according to international standards – is prolonging BNP's agitation. To make things worse, the ruling party's counter programmes, aimed at keeping a hold on the streets, have already caused trouble across the country as AL members have interpreted this as a directive to deny the opposition any space for holding protests.
In the end, the authorities did allow BNP to hold its grand rally on the day, only a few kilometres away. But in the meantime, one person had to die, tens of people were injured, and a couple of the opposition's top leaders were imprisoned. It was then reported that police had fired at least 1,780 rounds of rubber bullets, tear gas canisters, and sound grenades during the clash. Instead of a supposedly day-long disruption to normal city life, it became such a prolonged nightmare for citizens that the restriction of their movement did not stop at random frisking/checking of people and vehicles, but also infringed their rights to privacy by way of law enforcers going through the contents of citizens' personal mobile phones.
The violent suppression of the opposition's protest also alarmed the international community. Expressing concerns over reports of intimidation, political violence, harassment by police, arrests of opposition party members, and restrictions on the ability of opposition parties to meet and hold peaceful rallies, the United States called for guaranteeing the right to peaceful assembly and refraining from using excessive force against protesters. The UN and a number of rights groups also joined voices in support of allowing peaceful protests.
Early indications, such as suing and detaining opposition activists on charges of alleged "subversion," suggest that the threat of the December 10 situation being repeated should not be taken lightly. Despite the fact that the nature of our politics is historically confrontational, the current round of protests spearheaded by BNP is reasonably peaceful. But the vocabulary used by leaders of the ruling party, and by Obaidul Quader in particular, seem to be aimed at fuelling anger and escalating tension. Human Rights Watch has already called it, saying "threats against opposition leaders undermine election integrity." Quader's earlier warnings include a threat of "pouring uranium" on the head of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and not allowing him to return to Dhaka.
Many observers have hoped that the ruling party will change its strategy and strive to improve the political climate ahead of the election, since the government has been seen trying to convince the international community that it will deliver a free and fair election. Despite this pledge, the international community is far from convinced due to the controversies surrounding the elections in 2014 and 2018. The current Election Commission, too, has admitted that it's been a victim of the fallout of those sham elections. Given this context, the US announced a visa policy regarding "individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh."
There's little doubt that the government's refusal to participate in open talks with the opposition – and find a way of holding a credible election according to international standards – is prolonging BNP's agitation. To make things worse, the ruling party's counter programmes, aimed at keeping a hold on the streets, have already caused trouble across the country as AL members have interpreted this as a directive to deny the opposition any space for holding protests.
It is quite perplexing why the government seems set to repeat the measures that led to horrifying consequences between December 7 and 11 in 2022. No one wants to see the SWAT being deployed in battle gear to tackle a political protest. If a political party wants to stage a sit-in protest, why should they be denied that right? Didn't the Awami League itself stage such protests many years ago, and in order to demand the introduction of a caretaker government system, no less?
In any case, resolving differences over election management, instead of suppressing protest, would also be in the best interests of the country's economy. The US visa policy, undeniably, has unnerved our business community the most as they can ill afford any penalty imposed on the economy, which has already been experiencing its devastating shocks.
Kamal Ahmedis an independent journalist. His X handle is @ahmedka1
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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