Dhaka-12: Jamaat has the last laugh in battle of the three Saifuls

With 15 contenders -- the highest slate in the parliamentary race -- identical names add edge to the main fight

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Saiful Alam Khan Milon has emerged victorious in Dhaka-12, clinching the seat after a high-voltage contest dominated by three candidates sharing the same first name.

Results were declared after counting by Returning Officer and Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Choudhury, confirming the outcome in the constituency comprising Tejgaon, Hatirjheel and Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

In the 15-candidate race -- the largest field in the 13th parliamentary election -- Saiful Alam, contesting with the “weighing scale” symbol, has secured 53,773 votes.

His nearest challenger, Revolutionary Workers Party chief Shaiful Haque, has drawn 30,963 votes.

Close behind, BNP rebel Saiful Alam Nirob has captured 29,869 ballots, slicing into the opposition vote bank and tightening the margin.

BNP had initially granted its nomination to Saiful Alam Nirob.

In a late coalition recalibration, however, the party ceded the seat to alliance partner Shaiful Haque, dropping Nirob from the ticket.

After defying the party line and entering the race independently, Nirob -- former convener of Dhaka North BNP -- was expelled ahead of polling.