BNP candidate Sattar wins Brahmanbaria-2 seat after fresh voting in three centres

BNP leader Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan, the Jatiya Oikya Front candidate for the Brahmanbaria-2, has won the parliamentary constituency after re-voting in three centres.

Sattar drew 83,997 votes in 132 centres with the party’s ‘paddy sheaf’ symbol, according to results released after the re-election on Wednesday.

His nearest rival Md Moin Uddin, an independent candidate, polled 75,419 with ‘banana’ symbol, Assistant Returning Officer Mousumi Bain Hira said.

It is the fifth time Sattar has been elected from the seat consisted of Sarail and Ashuganj areas.

His victory has taken the number of seats won by the BNP in the elections to six. Two Gono Forum candidates in the Oikya Front have also won the elections.  

The general election was held in 299 out of 300 constituencies on Dec 30.

Among the 40,051 voting centres that were set up throughout the country, voting were suspended in 16 centres because of unrest and irregularities.

The voting centres in Ashuganj Upazila’s Jatrapur Government Primary School, Bahadurpur Government Primary School and Sohagpur South Government Primary School were among the stations where polling was suspended amid allegations of ballot box snatching and violence.

According to the results of the 129 centres in the constituency on Dec 30, Sattar won 82,723 votes while his nearest rival Moin bagged 72,564 votes.

The number of voters in the three polling centres is 10,574 while the margin was 10,159, which prompted the Election Commission to halt the announcement of final results and hold re-elections.

The Awami League-led Grand Alliance fielded a Jatiya Party candidate, Rezaul Islam, for the seat.

Rezaul, however, pulled out of the race in support of his father-in-law Moin, an Awami League leader.

The Awami League has already formed government for the third consecutive term after winning the elections by a landslide.

The Oikya Front has rejected the results alleging rigging in up to 60 percent centres. It has announced programmes demanding fresh elections.