The oath-taking ceremony of the elected members of the 12th Parliament will be held tomorrow (January 10, 2024). According to sources at the Speaker's office, the Parliament Secretariat is making preparations for the oath-taking ceremony. Read more: Envoys of Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE and others congratulate PM Hasina Awami League (AL)-backed candidates won 222 seats in Sunday's general election, while independent candidates -- most also belonging to AL -- won 62 seats. Jatiya Party candidates were victorious in 11 seats and three single candidates each from three parties -- Bangladesh Workers’ Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod and Bangladesh Kalyan Party -- secured victory in their respective constituencies. Read more: Wait to know who will be the opposition: Anisul Huq

Though Awami League (AL) was determined to retain all 20 seats in Dhaka, it lost three seats to independent candidates, who did not get party nomination, and shared a seat with their alliance earlier. In Dhaka-4, 5 and 19, the AL’s nominees were defeated by independent candidates. Among them, State Minister for Disaster and Relief Dr. Md. Enamur Rahman contested from Dhaka-19 constituency. In Dhaka-4, independent candidate Awlad Hossain bagged 24,775 votes with truck symbol and defeated AL nominee Sanjida Khanam who got 22,577 votes in the election held at 77 centres. In Dhaka-5, independent candidate Mashiur Rahman Mollah secured victory by bagging 50,631 votes with the truck symbol. He defeated AL candidate Harunur Rashid (Munna) by a margin of only 297 votes. Read more: National Election: Palak wins 4th term In Dhaka-19, with the truck symbol, independent candidate Saiful Islam got 84,412 votes while his nearest rival AL candidate Md. Enamur Rahman got 56,361 votes. Another independent candidate Talukder Md. Touhid Jung (Murad) secured 76, 202 votes. The seats AL retained In Dhaka-1, AL’s heavyweight candidate Salman F Rahman defeated Jatiya Party’s Salma Islam by a huge margin of 115,075 votes. He bagged 150,005 votes. In Dhaka-2, AL's Quamrul Islam bagged 1,54,448 votes by crushing his nearest independent competitor Habibur Rahman who got 10,635 votes. In Dhaka-3, the ruling AL’s heavyweight nominee Nasrul Hamid defeated JaPa’s Md Monir Sarkar by a huge difference of 129,864 votes. Hamid bagged 132,732 votes while Monir got only 2,868 votes. Read more: No pressure on voters to vote, but leaflets from ‘a party’ asking not to go, says FS quoting CEC In Dhaka-6, Dhaka South City Corporation’s former mayor and AL candidate Sayeed Khokan earned a landslide victory against his rival Md Rabiul Alam Majumdar. Khokan got 61,703 votes while Rabiul only 1,109 votes. In Dhaka-7, JaPa’s Mohammad Saifuddin Ahmmed Milon was defeated by current lawmaker Haji Selim’s son Solaiman Selim. AL nominee Selim got 63,817 votes while Milon with plough symbol bagged 7,308 votes. Dhaka-8 AL candidate AFM Bahauddin Nasim secured a landslide victory by a huge margin. He secured 46,610 votes while JaPa’s Md. Juber Alam Khan got only 880 votes. In Dhaka-9, Saber Hossain Chowdhury from the AL secured 90,396 votes. His nearest rival Md Abul Kalam Azad of JaPa bagged 6,999 votes. In Dhaka-10, popular actor Ferdous Ahmed, as a debutant candidate from the AL, got 65,898 votes while JaPa candidate Haji Md Shahjahan got only 2,257 votes. In Dhaka-11, AL candidate Md Wakil Uddin won by defeating JaPa’s Shamim Ahmed. Wakil earned 83,885 votes while his rival bagged 2,747 votes. In Dhaka-12, AL heavyweight candidate and current Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal got 94,689 votes while his rival Khorshed Alam bagged only 2,219 votes. In Dhaka-13, AL leader Jahangir Kabir Nanak won from the seat with the boat symbol. In Dhaka-14, AL's Mainul Hossain Khan won by achieving 53,540 votes while independent candidate Lutfar Rahman with got 17,914 votes. In Dhaka-15, AL’s Kamal Ahmed Majumdar clinched victory by securing 39,632 votes while his rival from the JaPa, Shamsul Huq, got 2,044 votes. In Dhaka-16, Ilias Ali Mollah from the AL won by defeating independent candidate Salauddin Rabin. Ilias got 65,631 votes while Rabin got 6,314 votes with the truck symbol. In Dhaka-17, Prof Mohammad A Arafat was elected unofficially by bagging 48,059 votes with the boat symbol. His nearest rival from Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Ainul Haque, got 1,380 votes. In Dhaka-18, though the AL shared the seat with JaPa, its candidate, GM Quaders’ wife Sherifa Quader, was defeated. Independent candidate Md Khosru Chowdhury was unofficially elected by 79,085 votes while nearest rival Md Tofazzal Hossain bagged 44,909 votes with the truck symbol. Sherifa Quader got only 6,429 votes. Dhaka-20 AL candidate Benazir Ahmed was unofficially elected with 83,709 votes. His nearest rival, independent candidate Md Atiqur Rahman bagged 6,413 votes with the scissors symbol. Read more: Salman F Rahman wins again

Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been elected unofficially in Gopalganj-3 constituency in the 12th general election. She bagged the seat achieving 2,49,965 votes in her constituency while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lascar from Bangladesh Supreme Party secured 469 votes,  said  Returning officer of the district Kazi Mahbubul Alam. National Election: Palak wins 4th term The polling that began at 8:00 am concluded at 4pm without any break amid tight security in 299 out of the country’s 300 constituencies. The counting of votes started immediately after the end of voting. No pressure on voters to vote, but leaflets from ‘a party’ asking not to go, says FS quoting CEC Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at Dhaka City College in the capital this morning. Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam on Sunday said 27.15 % votes were cast till 3 pm on Sunday. Independent candidate for Sylhet-3 says election rally attacked by AL candidate's campaigners

Ahead of the upcoming 12th National Parliamentary Election, the ruling Awami League has announced its election manifesto, committing to extend modern urban amenities to every village. The manifesto, with the slogan “Smart Bangladesh: Visible Development, Increased Employment,” was announced by Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (December 27, 2023) at the Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka. The manifesto promises to enhance the quality of life in villages by providing improved roadways, communication, clean drinking water, modern healthcare and medical treatment, quality education, advanced sanitation and waste management, increased electricity and fuel supply, computer and high-speed internet facilities, and expanded markets. These initiatives aim to bring all the comforts of modern cities to every village. In Smart Bangladesh Awami League seeks more safeguards for minorities, end of intolerance To ensure a reliable fuel supply, the party plans to continue encouraging and supporting the installation of biogas plants and solar panels on a group basis. The establishment of agricultural machinery service centers and workshops in villages will expand rural mechanization services, including machinery repair. This initiative will also provide training for rural youth and agricultural entrepreneurs, promoting productive employment. The manifesto includes plans for private sector investment and loan support for small and marginal entrepreneurs manufacturing and marketing light machinery. In line with the economic development of villages, cultural, sports, and entertainment programs will be expanded. This approach is expected to reduce the urban migration trend among rural youth by creating self-employment opportunities within villages. The government will fully support young people's involvement in agriculture, industry, and business. AL Manifesto on Significant Steps to Foster Women Entrepreneurs Awami League says that during its previous tenure, roads in every upazila were improved and expanded, connecting each village to upazila headquarters and linking upazilas to district headquarters and national highways. Every village has been ensured electricity supply. Drinking water and sanitation facilities have been enhanced and will be further improved. The government has taken over the expenses of primary and secondary schools, and financial support is being provided for teachers' salaries in private schools. Hospitals with 50 beds in upazilas are being upgraded to 100-bed facilities. Community clinics are bringing healthcare services to the doorstep of rural residents. Every union now has computer and internet service centers, providing employment opportunities to rural youth and facilitating communication nationally and internationally. Awami League’s Manifesto: Mega Projects for Accelerating Economic Momentum The expansion of communication, electricity, and internet services has accelerated rural production and market systems. Agricultural inputs have become more accessible, and the market for agricultural products has expanded. The extension of agricultural technology and the development of cottage and small industries are being expedited. Activities in both agricultural and non-agricultural sectors have multiplied significantly in rural areas.