Awami League reclaims Dhaka-18, Sirajganj-1 constituencies

Awami League candidates Mohammad Habib Hasan and Tanvir Shakil Joy have won the two parliamentary by-elections to Dhaka-18 and Sirajganj-1 constituencies.

The by-polls were held using electronic voting machines (EVMs) on Thursday.

Sirajganj-1 constituency fell vacant after the death of former health minister and Awami League member of parliament (MP) Mohammed Nasim on June 13. The Dhaka-18 constituency fell vacant following the death of former home minister and Awami League MP Sahara Khatun on July 9.

In Dhaka-18, Habib Hasan was unofficially elected, beating rival SM Jahangir Hossain of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party by over 70,000 votes.

Habib got 75,820 votes, while Jahangir bagged only 5,369, UNB quoted Returning Officer ZM Sahatab Uddin as saying.

The turnout was 14.18% as 81,818 out of total 5,77,116 votes were cast at 217 polling stations in the parliamentary seat comprising 14 wards and airport area under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda told journalists the low turnout is a “matter of research” and that “specialists can explain the matter after scrutinising different aspects of local polls and national election.”

In Sirajganj-1, Tanvir Shakil Joy was unofficially elected, beating his nearest rival BNP candidate Md Selim Reza by a margin of around 188,000 votes.

Joy secured 188,325 votes, while Selim Reza obtained only 468 votes.

The voter turnout was 51.76% as 188,793 out of total 364,764 votes were cast at 171 polling stations in the constituency comprising Kazipur Upazila and five unions of Sirajganj Sadar upazila, reports UNB.