2023 Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad by-elections

In 2023, by-elections are scheduled to be held for vacant seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, the legislative body of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. In the Jatiya Sangsad, MPs for 300 seats are elected directly and MPs for 50 reserved women seats are elected indirectly by the MPs, thus popular by-elections are only held in the direct seats. As the 11th parliament is scheduled to be expire on 29 January 2024 and the Election Commission has announced to hold the next Bangladeshi general election between late December 2023 to early January 2024,[1][2] all candidates elected by these by-polls will be members of the 11th Jatiya Sangsad.

Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections in 2023

← 2018 (General election) 4 January 2023 (1 seat)
1 February 2023 (6 seats)
6 March 2023 (1 reserved seat)[a]
27 April 2023 (1 seat)
17 July 2023 (1 seat)
30 July 2023 (2 seats)[b]
24 September 2023 (1 seat)[c]
5 November 2023 (2 seats)
9 November 2023 (1 seat)[d]
2024 (General election) →

14[e] vacant seats out of 300 direct seats in the Jatiya Sangsad and
1 vacant seat out of 50 reserved seats for women in the Jatiya Sangsad
Registered4,735,329[f]
Turnout24.91%[g]
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Sheikh Hasina Raushan Ershad Tarique Rahman
Party AL JP(E) BNP
Seats before 5[h] 0[h] 7[h]
Seats won 8 1 Boycotted
Seat change Increase3 Increase1 Decrease7
Popular vote 618,035 169,347

  Fourth party
 
Leader Hasanul Haq Inu
Party JaSaD (Inu)
Seats before 0[h]
Seats won 2
Seat change Increase2
Popular vote 21,745

Leader of the House before election

Sheikh Hasina
AL

Leader of the House

Sheikh Hasina
AL

By-elections this year held much more significance than other by-elections during this (11th) parliament. Bangladesh has experienced democratic backsliding in recent years.[3] Although all of the by-elections are boycotted by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies. BNP and its allies, which are the 'political opposition' of the AL, has continuously accused the ruling Awami League of vote rigging and electoral dishonesty.

The first by-election was held after being postponed by the Election Commission after they witnessed 'mass irregularities', which other parties and observers had alleged before.[4] However, the seat was later won by the ruling party.[5][6]

Seven of the by-polls were held due to the resignation of BNP lawmakers from the parliament in December 2022 as part of their anti-governmental campaign. One of them was an MP for a reserved seat. The direct seats were all won by AL-backed candidates except one.[7] BNP's Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan resigned from the party to re-run in the election and won. His election led to major political discussions and the popularization of the term 'candidate models'.

Except these, by-elections were held in Chattogram-8, Dhaka-17 and Chattogram-10 with a very low voter turnout, with the AL candidate winning in the Netrokona-4 and Natore-4 unopposed. Incidents regarding the Dhaka-17 by-election resulted in some diplomatic and domestic actions and reactions. Eventually, political oppositions of the AL are predicted to continue boycotting elections under the current government led by Sheikh Hasina.

Reasons and schedules for by-elections

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Events leading to by-elections

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As of 1 August 2023, there were 12 by-elections held in the country due to these following reasons:

Date Constituency Reason Vacancy Date Further information Ref.(s)
4 January 2023 Gaibandha-5 Due to the midway postponement of a by-election in the same constituency on 12 October 2022 due to irregularities. 23 July 2022 The by-polls in October 2022 were being held because the seat felt vacant after the death of the MP Fazle Rabbi Miah (AL) on 23 July 2022. [8][9]
1 February 2023 Thakurgaon-3 Due to the resignation of the MP Zahidur Rahman (BNP). 11 December 2022 All of these lawmakers resigned as a part of their antigovernmental protests. The announcements were made on 10 December 2022 in a BNP rally. They submitted their letter the next day. The CN-3 MP had to re-submit his letter because the signature he put was scanned as he was abroad, thus delaying the vacancy process. [10][11][12][13]
Bogura-4 Due to the resignation of the MP Mohamod Mosharof Hosen (BNP).
Bogura-6 Due to the resignation of the MP Gulam Mohammad Siraj (BNP).
Chapai Nawabganj-2 Due to the resignation of the MP Mohammad Aminul Islam (BNP).
Brahmanbaria-2 Due to the resignation of the MP Ukil Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan (BNP).
Chapai Nawabganj-3 Due to the resignation of the MP Harunur Rashid (BNP). 22 December 2022
6 March 2023[a] Reserved Seat for Women-50 Due to the resignation of the MP Rumeen Farhana (BNP). 11 December 2022
27 April 2023 Chattogram-8 Due to the death of the MP Moslem Uddin Ahmad (AL). 6 February 2023
17 July 2023 Dhaka-17 Due to the death of the MP Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque (AL) 15 May 2023
30 July 2023[b] Chattogram-10 Due to the death of the MP Muhammad Afsarul Ameen (AL) 2 June 2023
Netrokona-4 Due to the death of the MP Rebecca Momin (AL) 11 July 2023
5 November 2023 Lakshmipur-3 Due to the death of A. K. M. Shahjahan Kamal (AL) 30 September 2023 [14][15]
Brahmanbaria-2 Due to the death of Abdul Sattar Bhuiyan (Independent)

By-election schedules

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January

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By-election was held for 1 vacant seat in the parliament.[16][17]

By-election event Date
Election Date Announcement 23.08.2022
Last Date for Filling Nomination 13.09.2022
Scrutiny 15.09.2022
Withdrawal Last Date 22.09.2022
Electoral Symbol Allocation 23.09.2022
Voting & Results (postponed) 12.10.2022
Voting & Results (rescheduled) 04.01.2023

February

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By-elections were held for 6 vacant seats in the parliament.

By-election event Date
Election Date Announcement 18.12.2022 & 26.12.2022 (CN-3)
Last Date for Filling Nomination 05.01.2023
Scrutiny 08.01.2023
Withdrawal Last Date 15.01.2023
Electoral Symbol Allocation 16.01.2023
Voting & Results 01.02.2023

Political parties and candidature

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Party-wise candidate list

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  • Political parties:
  • Independent(s): 20 independent candidates competed in 10 different seats.
  Party Seats Contested Seats Won
Bangladesh Awami League 12 12
Jatiya Party-JaPa 10 1
Zaker Party 8
National People's Party-NPP 4
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-JaSaD 3 2
Bangladesh Nationalist Front-BNF 3
Trinomool Bangladesh National Party 2
Bangladesh Congress 2
Bangladesh Sanskritik Muktijot (Muktijot) 2
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh 1
Workers Party of Bangladesh 1
Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan 1
Bangladesh Islami Front 1
Islamic Front Bangladesh 1
Gano Front 1
Independent 10 1

Election(s)

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Gaibandha-5

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The Gaibandha-5 seat is the 33rd constituency of the parliament, which has been in control of JaPa and AL in different times. Miah won as a JaPa candidate on this seat in 1986 and 1991. Miah later joined AL and lost in 2001 to JaPa's Raushan Ershad, and then he won beating Raushan in 2008. He then served as the MP of this seat and as the Deputy Speaker of the parliament until his death on 22 July 2022, winning all elections in the midway as an AL candidate.

As the Election Commission announced the election schedule, only three political parties nominated candidates. Among four to five nomination seekers,[18][19] AL nominated Mahmud Hasan as their party candidate, who was the former president of Chhatra League (AL's student-wing) from 2006 to 2011.[20] On the other hand, JaPa nominated Golam Shahid Ranju,[21] who was the Vice-Chairman of the party in Gaibandha during the election.[22] Ranju also ran as a JaPa candidate 2018, but he lost to Miah by a large margin. Apart from these two, Bikalpa Dhara's Jahangir Alam and six independent candidates submitted nomination papers, although four of the independent candidates' candidacy were cancelled after scrutiny.[1]

Thakurgaon-3

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Bogura-4

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Bogura-6

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Chapai Nawabganj-2

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Chapai Nawabganj-3

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Brahmanbaria-2

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Chattogram-8

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Dhaka-17

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Chattogram-10

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Netrokona-4

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Reserved Women Seat-50

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Lakhshmipur-3

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Brahmanbaria-2

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Results

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Summary

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Party Symbol Candidates Votes Seats
% Direct Reserved Total
Bangladesh Awami League 564,912 49.98 12 12
Jatiya Party-JaPa (Ershad) 162,166 14.35 1 1
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) 3 21,745 1.92 1 1 2
Zaker Party 13,113 1.16
Workers Party of Bangladesh 1 11,356 1.00
Bangladesh Nationalist Front 6,925 0.61
Bangladesh Islami Front 1 5,087 0.45
Bangladesh Congress 3,610
National People's Party (Shalu) 2,878
Islamic Front Bangladesh 1 1,860
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh 1 1,796
Trinomool BNP 2 1,432
Bangladesh Sankrtitic Muktijote 2 643
Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan 1 468
Gano Front 1 170
Independent(s) 320,861 1 1

Constituency-wise

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Gaibandha-5

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: Gaibandha-5 (Saghata-Fulchhari)[23][24]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AL Mahmud Hasan Ripon 78,276 60.39%
JP(E) A. H. M. Golam Shahid Ranju 44,950 34.68%  31.28pp
Independent Syed Md. Mahbubur Rahman 2,950 2.27%
BDB Md. Jahangir Alam 1,796 1.38%
Independent Nahiduzzaman Nishad[i] 1,640 1.26%
Margin of victory 33,326 25.71%
Turnout 129,612 38.23%  48.52pp
AL hold Swing

Thakurgaon-3

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: 5 Thakurgaon-3 (Pirganj-Ranisankail)[26]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
JP(E) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed 84,047 55.90%
Independent Golap Chandra Roy 50,309 33.46%
WPB Md. Yeasin Ali 11,356 7.56%
Zaker Party Emdadul Haque 2,257 1.50%
BNF Sirajul Islam 1,412 0.94%
National People's Party (Bangladesh) Shafi Al Asad 953 0.64%
Margin of victory 33,738 22.44%
Turnout 150,334 46.29%  20.58
Registered electors 324,741  24,724
JP(E) gain from BNP Swing

Bogura-4

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: 39 Bogra-4 (Kahaloo-Nandigram)[27][28][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
JSD A. K. M. Rezaul Karim Tansen 20,437 TBD
Independent Hero Alom 19,486 TBD
JP(E) Shaheen Mustafa Kamal Faruque TBD TBD
Zaker Party Abdur Rashid Sardar TBD TBD
BCP Md. Tajuddin Mandal TBD TBD
Independent Mushfiqur Rahman Kajal TBD TBD
Independent Kamrul Hasan Siddique Juel TBD TBD
Independent Elias Ali Mandal TBD TBD
Independent Golam Mustafa TBD TBD
Margin of victory 951

Bogura-6

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: 41 Bogra-6 (Bogura Sadar)[28][29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AL Ragebul Ahsan Ripu 33,462 TBD
JP(E) Nurul Islam Omar TBD TBD
JSD Imdadul Haque Imdad TBD TBD
Gano Front Afzal Hossain TBD TBD
BKA Md. Nazrul Islam TBD TBD
Zaker Party Md. Faysal Bin Shafiq TBD TBD
Independent Sarkar Badal TBD TBD
Independent Masudar Rahman Helal TBD TBD
Independent Abdul Mannan Akondo TBD TBD
Independent Hero Alom 4,540 TBD
Independent Raqib Khan TBD TBD
Margin of victory

Chapai Nawabganj-2

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: 44 Chapai Nawabganj-2 (Bholahat-Gomostapur-Nachole)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AL Muh. Ziaur Rahman TBD TBD
JP(E) Abdur Razzak TBD TBD
Zaker Party Ghulam Mostafa TBD TBD
BNF Nabiul Islam TBD TBD
Independent Khursid Alam TBD TBD
Independent Mohammad Ali Sarkar TBD TBD
Margin of victory

Chapai Nawabganj-3

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: 45 Chapai Nawabganj-3 (Nawabganj Sadar)[30]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
AL Md. Abdul Wadud Bishwas TBD TBD
BNF Kamruzzaman Khan TBD TBD
Independent Samiul Haque Liton TBD TBD
Margin of victory

Brahmanbaria-2

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2023 Bangladesh parliamentary by-elections: 244 Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail-Ashuganj)[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ukil Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan 46,323
JP(E) Abdul Hamid Bhashani 9,580
Independent Abu Asif Ahmed 3,238
Zaker Party Zahirul Islam 1,427
Independent Ziaul Haque Mridha 420
Margin of victory 36,543
Independent gain from BNP Swing

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Initially scheduled for 20 March, but the only candidate was declared winner unopposed
  2. ^ a b Although the Chattogram-10 election was held as scheduled; in the Netrokona-4 election, initially scheduled for 2 September, the only candidate was declared winner unnopposed
  3. ^ Initially scheduled for 11 October, but the only candidate was declared winner unopposed
  4. ^ Initially scheduled for 26 November, but the only candidate was declared winner unopposed
  5. ^ Unique figure; by-election was held twice in Brahmanbaria-2. Thus 15 by-election was held in 14 direct seats.
  6. ^ Total number of voters of these constituencies (excludes seats won unopposed):
  7. ^ Constituency-wise break-up (excludes seats won unopposed):

    Turnout figures of Lakshmipur-3 and Brahmanbaria-2 include statistics of polling centers rejected for electoral fraud.
  8. ^ a b c d Seats in the vacant seats before vacancy and election
  9. ^ Boycotted after the by-election was rescheduled, but as the date of withdrawal was passed he was still an option for the voters to vote in the EVMs.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Tenure of All Parliaments". House of the Nation: Parliament of Bangladesh. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh to hold next general election in January 2024: EC". The Daily Observer. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  3. ^ Riaz, Ali (21 September 2020). "The pathway of democratic backsliding in Bangladesh". Democratization. 28 (1): 179–197. doi:10.1080/13510347.2020.1818069. ISSN 1351-0347. S2CID 224958514.
  4. ^ "Irregularities abound in Gaibandha-5 by-polls". The Daily Star. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Gaibandha-5 by-polls: Awami League candidate wins by huge margin". Dhaka Tribune. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  6. ^ "গাইবান্ধা-৫ আসনে নৌকার প্রার্থী রিপন বিজয়ী" [Boat's candidate Ripon wins in Gaibandha-5 constituency]. Jugantor. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  7. ^ Hossain, Anowar (5 February 2023). "আ. লীগকে পাশে না পেয়ে ১৪ দলের শরিকদের অনেক প্রশ্ন" [14 Party's allies have many questions as they don't get A. League on their side]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  8. ^ "By-election to Gaibandha-5 constituency Wednesday". Jagonews24.com. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Gaibandha-5 by-polls on January 4". New Age. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  10. ^ "7 BNP MPs announce resignation at Dhaka rally". The Daily Star. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Six BNP MPs resign". New Age. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  12. ^ "BNP lawmaker Harun resigns from parliament". Prothom Alo. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  13. ^ "হারুনের আসনেও উপ নির্বাচন ১ ফেব্রুয়ারি" [By-election in Harun's constituency on 1 February also]. Bdnews24.com (in Bengali). 26 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Awami League candidate wins Lakshmipur-3 by-polls by huge margin". Dhaka Tribune. 5 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  15. ^ "AL candidates declared winners of Lakshmipur-3, B'baria-2 by-polls". The Business Standard. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  16. ^ "গাইবান্ধা-৫ উপনির্বাচনে মনোনয়নপত্র জমা দিলেন ৯ প্রার্থী" [9 candidates submit nomination papers in Gaibandha-5 by-polls]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 13 September 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  17. ^ "গাইবান্ধা-৫ আসনে উপনির্বাচন ১২ অক্টোবর" [By-election in Gaibandha-5 seat on 12 October]. Jugantor. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  18. ^ "গাইবান্ধা-৫ উপনির্বাচন: তিন দলের ৬ মনোনয়নপ্রত্যাশী" [Gaibandha-5 by-election: 6 nomination-seekers of three parties]. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 6 August 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  19. ^ Palash, Zillur Rahman (23 August 2022). "আওয়ামী লীগ দলীয় মনোনয়নে ভুল করলে আসনটি যাবে জাপার দখলে!" [If Awami League makes mistake in nomination the seat will go under JaPa's control!]. Jaijaidin. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  20. ^ Roy, Debasish (10 September 2023). "গাইবান্ধা-৫ উপনির্বাচনে আ.লীগের মনোনয়ন পেলেন রিপন" [Ripon gets nomination of A.League in Gaibandha-5 by-election]. Somoy TV (in Bengali). Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  21. ^ "গাইবান্ধা-৫ আসনের জাপার মনোনয়ন প্রত্যাশী গোলাম শহীদ রঞ্জু আলোচনায় শীর্ষে !!" [Golam Shahid Ranju, who is hoping for the nomination of JaPa for Gaibandha-5 seat, is at the top of the discussion!!]. GonoManusherAwaj.com. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  22. ^ "এসএম গোলাম শহীদ রঞ্জু" [SM Golam Shahid Ranju]. Jatiya Party-JaPa. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  23. ^ "Awami League candidate Ripon wins Gaibandha-5 by-election". Bdnews24. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  24. ^ "AL candidate Ripon wins Gaibandha-5 by-polls | News". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  25. ^ "গাইবান্ধা-৫ উপনির্বাচনে তিন প্রার্থীর জামানত বাজেয়াপ্ত" [Deposit of three candidates in Gaibandha-5 by-election forfeited]. Dhaka Times 24. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  26. ^ "প্রার্থীতা ফিরে পেলেন গোপাল, ভোটের মাঠে নতুন মেরুকরণ" [Gopal regaines his candidacy, new polarization in the voting field]. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 24 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  27. ^ "বগুড়া-৪ আসনের উপনির্বাচন : আইনি লড়াই শেষে সাত প্রার্থী" [By-election of Bogra-4 constituency: Seven candidates after legal battle]. kalbela.com (in Bengali). 18 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  28. ^ a b "দুই আসনে অর্ধেকেরই মনোনয়নপত্র বাতিল, সদরে 'নির্ভার' আ.লীগ" [Half of the nomination papers cancelled in two seats, A.League unburdened in Sadar]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  29. ^ a b Azad, Abul Kalam (27 January 2023). "জয় পেতে বিএনপি-জামায়াতের ভোটের দিকে নজর প্রার্থীদের" [Candidates look at BNP-Jama'ats' votes to win]. Daily Naya Diganta (in Bengali). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  30. ^ a b Hasan, Rabiul (26 January 2023). "উপনির্বাচনের প্রচারণায় ব্যস্ত প্রার্থীরা, দিচ্ছেন নানান প্রতিশ্রুতি" [Candidates busy in by-election campaign, giving various promises]. The Daily Star (Bangla). Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  31. ^ Ahmed, Foisal; Shonchay, Azizul (22 January 2023). "Brahmanbaria-2 by-polls: AL's astute politics to elect Abdus Sattar". The Business Standard. Retrieved 27 January 2023.