by-polls
Momen greets Mamata; hopes to have closer ties with WB
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress for her resounding victory in the by-polls. In a message to Mamata Banerjee, the Foreign Minister hoped that Bangladesh's relations with West Bengal would be closer and complementary in the days to come in the interest of mutual welfare and development.
Read: Mamata wins crucial Bengal bypoll Dr Momen said the landslide victory in the Bhabanipur constituency for the third consecutive term is a reflection of the people of West Bengal's continued confidence and deep faith in Mamata Banerjee's leadership. He wished the people of West Bengal all the betterment and prosperity under the able leadership of Mamata Banerjee. The Foreign Minister wished the Chief Minister of West Bengal good health and continued success and greeted her ahead of Durga Puja.
Read: Crucial bypoll begins in Bengal to decide Mamata's fate Mamata Banerjee won Bhabanipur Assembly by-polls on Sunday by a record margin of 58,832 votes against Priyanka Tibrewal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This victory makes Banerjee a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and will allow her to continue as Chief Minister of West Bengal. She was unanimously elected Chief Minister by the Trinamool Congress legislature party in May 2021.
Cumilla-7 by-polls: Pran Gopal elected unopposed
Prof Pran Gopal Datta, former vice-chancellor of Bangabandu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), was declared elected unopposed in Cumilla-7 by-polls on Monday morning.
He was formally pronounced the winner of the by-polls around 11:00am, Election Officer Md Dulal Talukder told UNB.
Read: Pran Gopal Dutta is AL's pick for Comilla-7 bypoll
His parliament membership was confirmed when NAP nominee Monirul Islam, the only person challenging him for the post, withdrew his candidature on Saturday.
The constituency fell vacant when Ali Ashraf, then MP of the constituency, died at a hospital in Dhaka.
Covid-19: Elections of 163 union parishads, 9 municipalities postponed
Taking stock of the Covid-19 situation in the country, the Election Commission (EC) has postponed elections to 163 union parishads in Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Noakhali, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.
Elections to 68 union parishads in Bagerhat, 34 in Khulna, 21 in Satkhira, 13 in Noakhali, 12 in Chattogram, and 15 in Cox's Bazar have been withheld, which were scheduled for June 21.
The commission has also decided to postpone elections to nine municipalities, out of 11, slated for the same date.
Also read: Covid positivity rate in Bangladesh hits 13.25 %, highest in 46 days
However, 204 other union parishads will go to the polls as per schedule on June 21; by-polls to Lakshmipur-2 will also be held as per schedule on the same date.
The decisions came at an urgent meeting of the commission Thursday amid an upward march of Covid-19 infections in the electoral areas.
Also read: By-elections: 94 aspirants collect nomination papers from the Awami League
The meeting also decided to reschedule by-polls to Dhaka-14, Cumilla-5 and Sylhet-3 to July 28 from July 14.
The commission postponed the polls after considering recommendations of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, local administration, and regional election officials, EC Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandakar said.
BNP accuses ruling party of vote fraud
BNP on Monday alleged that ruling party ‘cadres’ engaged in vote ‘robbery’ by ‘capturing’ most polling stations during elections to 24 municipalities at different parts of the country.
GM Quader worried about people’s apathy for polls
Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on Saturday voiced concern that the voter turnout in polls has marked a gradual fall due to people’s apathy for voting and politics.
BNP engaged in arson to make by-polls questionable: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said BNP has carried out the recent arson attacks on buses on the day of the by elections to make the polls questionable and malign the government.
By-polls: BNP announces 2-day protest programme
BNP on Friday announced a two-day demonstration programme demanding the cancellation of the results of by-elections to Dhaka-18 and Sirajganj-1 constituencies, and protesting the arrest of its leaders and activists in ‘false’ cases.
AL ‘cadres’ turned desperate, alleges BNP
BNP on Monday alleged that the ‘cadres’ of Awami League candidates have become desperate to obstruct opposition candidates from carrying out electioneering in Dhaka-18 and Sirajganj-1 by-polls being pampered by local administrations.
BNP demands reelections to local bodies
Turning down the results of local body elections held on Tuesday at different parts of the country, BNP on Wednesday demanded reelections, bringing various allegations of ‘vote fraud’.
AL candidates win Khulna, Dinajpur, Sirajganj
The election results came out on Wednesday morning.
Unofficial election results available so far show the ruling AL candidates dominating the elections and by-elections to Zila,