Election rigging allegations: Aminul urges vote recount

Aminul Haque, a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate, has requested a vote recount in the Dhaka-16 constituency after losing in the 13th National Parliament election, citing allegations of widespread electoral irregularities.

Speaking at a press conference at Pallabi in the capital on Saturday, Aminul claimed that the government had attempted to provide special advantages to a particular party in several Dhaka city constituencies. 

He asserted that the BNP’s “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol was poised for victory in Dhaka-16.

The BNP candidate alleged that officials responsible for conducting the election sided with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and forcibly removed BNP polling agents from multiple centers. He further claimed that presiding officers stamped ballot papers themselves on election day.

According to Aminul, on the night of February 11, the Jamaat candidate entered polling centers and went into the rooms of presiding officers. He alleged that results were “engineered” at several targeted centers and that some result sheets lacked the signatures of polling agents.
He also accused government authorities of influencing the election outcome.

According to the officially declared results, Abdul Baten, contesting with the “Scales” symbol, secured 88,828 votes in Dhaka-16. Aminul Haque received 85,467 votes with the “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol. The Jamaat candidate won the seat by a margin of 3,361 votes after a closely contested race.