Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led Bangladesh Awami League (AL) is all set to form the government in the country for the third consecutive term after the party won more than 151 seats out of total 300 in the 11th Parliamentary elections, while the opposition calls for fresh elections.
The Daily Star reported that the AL-led Grand Alliance, which includes 14 parties in total, won 276 seats, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jatiya Oikya Front suffered a massive defeat in the general elections by bagging only six seats in total.
As per Dhaka Tribune, the AL-led Grand Alliance has got 38,002,941 votes while the Jatiya Oikya front received 4,213,595 votes. According to the Bangladesh Election Commission, a total of 229,747 votes cast were valid and 394 invalid.
The Daily Star quoted BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as saying, "It proves that free and fair election is not possible under any partisan government."
"We demand fresh elections be supervised by a neutral caretaker government," Jatiya Oikya Front leader Kamal Hossain said at a media conference. He said the electoral process was plagued by ballot stuffing overnight, forcing out opposition polling agents, and killing of more than 12 people.
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The counting of votes polled in the 11th General Elections in Bangladesh, which concluded at 4 pm on Sunday, is underway in the nation. The polling began early morning on Sunday, which was marked by heavy violence, claiming as many as 12 lives and injuring 64 others.
It is the first time in the past ten years when all major political parties of Bangladesh have participated in the general elections. In the last general elections held in 2014, the AL-led alliance had formed the government after bagging a total of 153 seats out of 300. The AL had won the 10th general elections unopposed after the BNP boycotted the elections after leader Begum Khaleda Zia was put under house arrest just before the elections.
The polling began early morning on Sunday around 8 am and continued till 4 pm in the evening.The capital city of Dhaka, however, witnessed peaceful voting, while several parts of the nation were engulfed in raging violence during voting. Police have arrested as many as eight people in connection with the clashes.
Several leaders from multiple parties cried foul alleging the rigging of votes. A few leaders even boycotted the election citing the same reason.
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