Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has alleged irregularities in the announcement of 13th parliamentary election results, claiming delays.
Speaking to reporters at the Election Commission headquarters around 4am on Friday, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair alleged that returning officers were deliberately slowing the release of results in certain constituencies to benefit a “particular party.”
“In constituencies where our senior leaders were contesting, results should have been declared by 8pm or 9pm based on signed result sheets provided to polling agents,” he said.
Zubair specifically cited the Dhaka-17 constituency, alleging that signed tally sheets were altered, reducing his party’s candidate’s vote count by nearly 5,000 ballots.
In a formal statement issued later, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said it was dissatisfied with the overall results process. The party pointed to what it described as suspiciously narrow defeats of candidates from the 11-party alliance, inconsistencies in unofficial result disclosures, and the Election Commission’s failure to publish voter turnout data. It also alleged that sections of the administration appeared to favour a major political party.
The party urged supporters to remain calm and await further instructions from the alliance leadership, while vowing to continue what it described as a struggle for justice.
The sharper tone overnight contrasted with earlier remarks by Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, who had said that victory and defeat are natural outcomes in a democratic process, though he expressed concern over the temporary disappearance of results from the Election Commission website.
As counting progressed, however, party leaders escalated their rhetoric. Zubair warned that the sacrifices made during the 2024 uprising, in which around 1,400 people were killed according to party figures, must not be undermined by what he termed authoritarian manipulation of public opinion.
“If the mandate of the people is ignored in this new Bangladesh, the public will not accept it,” he said, adding that Jamaat would not hesitate to launch a strong protest movement if necessary. He also indicated that candidates in several constituencies were preparing to seek legal remedies.
On polling day, a delegation from the Jamaat-led alliance met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and submitted more than 100 video clips alleging irregularities.
Advocate Moazzem Hossain Helal, a member of the delegation, claimed that polling agents were forcibly removed from at least 30 centres in Cumilla-8 and alleged incidents of ballot stamping in Narsingdi-4.
“We want results that are transparent and beyond question,” Helal said, calling on election authorities to ensure credibility in the final outcome.
