Massive victory for Hasina -led grand alliance

The Awami League-led Grand Alliance clinched a landslide victory with over two thirds majority in the 11th general elections amid festivity giving the Grand Alliance yet another chance to form the government for the third consecutive terms.

The massive victory has paved the way for Awami League President Sheikh Hasina to lead the government as Prime Minister for the fourth times and third times in a row.

The election commission so far announced unofficially the results of 298 seats of the 300-seat parliament for this general election that witnessed the participation of all major political parties.

Out of the 299 seats where elections were held, the grand alliance won in 288 constituencies, including 259 seats bagged by Awami League.

Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikyafront won in 7 constituencies.

Voting in Gaibandha-3 constituency was postponed due to death of a candidate earlier and the results of Brahmanbaria-2 seat will be announced after re-election in its three centres.

HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party secured 20 seats with “plough” symbol and independent candidates got three seats.

The Awami League-led grand alliance has swept the polls as the Election Commission officials said a large number of voters exercised their franchise to elect the country’s 11th parliament.

Foreign observers and independent polls monitor groups said the election was held in a free, fair and peaceful manner, maintaining the world standard.

Jatiya Oikyafront top leader Dr Kamal Hossain after the end of the polls time, however, demanded of the Election Commission to give fresh election alleging that massive vote rigging took place in different constituencies.

Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Jatiya Party president HM Ershad, a key ally of Awami League- led grand alliance, won the polls from their respective constituencies.

Hasina and Dr Kamal Hossain on Sunday expressed their confidence to win the people’s verdict with both showing “V” signs after casting votes in separate polling centres in Dhaka.

The Jamaat-e-Islami, a crucial ally of BNP, failed to make any impression as its candidates contested the polls with BNP’s election symbol ‘sheaf of paddy’ announced to quit the race at the middle of the voting.

Sheikh Hasina, who is looking forward to run the country for the 3rd consecutive terms banking on her dynamic leadership and global image, asked her party men to show restraints and not to stage any victory processions until the results were published officially hopefully in next few days.

She also urged her rivals to accept the polls results to put an end to the culture of confrontational politics.

Earlier, braving the chilly weather polling went of peacefully across the country as nearly 7 lakh law enforcement personnel kept a sharp vigil on Sunday but according to reports coming from different areas after the polling, sporadic incidents of clashes among rival activists left several people, including AL activists, dead.

Source: bss