Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Delwar Hossain has rejected the results of the Thakurgaon-1 by-election, alleging widespread irregularities, fraudulent voting, and intimidation of polling agents. Citing these grievances, the party has called for a protest rally, originally scheduled for Friday afternoon but deferred to Saturday afternoon (October 25) out of respect for the electoral code of conduct.
The by-election for the Thakurgaon-1 constituency—comprising Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia, and Bhulli—was held on Thursday. Returning Officer and District Election Officer Kamrul Islam announced the unofficial results at approximately 9:45 PM on Thursday, declaring Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Faisal Amin the winner with 227,917 votes. His nearest rival, Jamaat candidate Delwar Hossain, secured 96,513 votes. The parliamentary seat had fallen vacant after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir took the presidential oath following his initial election from the constituency, prompting a five-candidate race that also featured contenders from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, and Bangladesh Congress.
Addressing a press conference at the Thakurgaon Jamaat office around 9:00 PM on Thursday, Hossain categorically dismissed the outcome, asserting that their apprehensions regarding the electoral process proved valid. He accused the ruling party candidate and supporters of systematically violating electoral codes throughout the campaign and establishing an atmosphere of fear across the constituency. Hossain alleged that voters were threatened with eviction from their homes if they failed to vote for the sheaf of wheat symbol and were coerced into stamping ballots openly. Furthermore, he questioned the reported voter turnout, pointing out that while low voter presence was observed at polling centres during morning hours, the final turnout was inflated to 64 percent, a figure he claimed did not align with actual attendance.
The Jamaat candidate also criticized the appointment of polling officials, alleging that genuine presiding and assistant presiding officers were replaced with partisan personnel to facilitate vote rigging, noting that identification cards lacked photographs to conceal these maneuvers. Following the announcement, Hossain visited injured party activists and supporters at the Thakurgaon 250-bed General Hospital at around 11:00 PM on Thursday. Explaining the rescheduling of their protest, he stated that while rallies were initially planned for Friday, electoral regulations prohibit public gatherings within 48 hours of the conclusion of voting, prompting them to postpone the demonstration to 4:30 PM on Saturday in adherence to the rules.
In response to the allegations, BNP candidate Mirza Faisal Amin dismissed the claims as part of a pre-planned conspiracy to question the credibility of the by-election and manufacture a national issue, adding that central Jamaat leaders had visited the area and delivered provocative statements from Dhaka to undermine the polls. Meanwhile, Returning Officer Kamrul Islam maintained that the election was conducted fairly, stating that law enforcement personnel, administrative officials, and judicial and executive magistrates were active in the field, and while isolated incidents occurred, no significant or untoward disruptions marred the voting process.
