Dhaka, Feb 14 (V7N) — BNP’s Paddy Sheaf candidate for the Dhaka-16 constituency, Aminul Haque, has demanded a recount of votes, alleging that he was defeated through irregularities and rigging.

He made the demand at a press conference in Pallabi in the capital on Saturday (February 14), urging the Election Commission of Bangladesh to suspend the publication of the gazette until the recount is completed.

Aminul Haque alleged that special privileges were given to a particular party in Dhaka city constituencies and claimed that the victory of the BNP candidate in Dhaka-16 had been certain. He accused polling officials of siding with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and said BNP polling agents were expelled from several centers.

He further alleged that the presiding officer sealed the election on polling day and claimed that a rival candidate entered a polling station on the night of February 11 and met with officials. According to him, results from some centers were engineered and even lacked agents’ signatures on the result sheets.

According to the announced results, after a closely contested race in Dhaka-16, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Abdul Baten secured 88,828 votes with the scale symbol, while Aminul Haque received 85,467 votes with the rice sheaf symbol — a margin of 3,361 votes.

END/SMA/AJ