A by-election for the Bangladesh parliamentary constituency of Dhaka-17 was held on 17 July 2023, following the death of incumbent member of Parliament Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque.[1] The Awami League nominated Mohammad A. Arafat, an academic and a political advocate of the Awami League, to replace Farooque; he won the by-election with more than 77 percent of the vote, a landslide majority.[2][3]
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Dhaka-17 Jatiya Sangsad constituency | |||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 325,205 | ||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 11.51% ( 54.3 pp) | ||||||||||||||||
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 Dhaka-17 constituency within Dhaka District | |||||||||||||||||
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This constituency consists of wards 15, 18, 19 and 20 of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka Cantonment area.[4][5] Total eligible voters were 325,205 in this election.
Candidates
editA total of 8 candidates were contested for the constituency.
| Name | Election Symbol | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad A. Arafat | Nouka (Boat) | Bangladesh Awami League | [6] | |
| Hero Alom | Ektara | Independent | ||
| Sikder Anisur Rahman | Langol (Plough) | Jatiya Party (Ershad) | ||
| Md Rashidul Hasan | Golap ful (Rose) | Zaker Party | ||
| Sheikh Habibur Rahman | Sonali Aash (Golden fibre) | Grassroots BNP | ||
| Rezaul Islam Swapan | Dab (Green Coconut) | Bangladesh Congress | ||
| Mohammad Akhter Hossain | Chari | Bangladesh Sanskritik Muktijot | ||
| Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan | Truck | Independent |
Incidents
editOn July 17, 2023, Independent candidate Alom was assaulted by political opponents near a polling center at the Banani Bidyaniketan School and College. The incident occurred at around 3:20 p.m. while Alom was visiting the polling center. According to reports, Alom was taking photos with his fans on the playground of the school when he was approached by a group of people who told him that it was not a place to shoot TikTok videos. The group then began to physically assault Alom, dragging him out of the building after he had entered the corridor. Alom was able to escape in a car. An officer at the scene said that Alom had been accompanied by around 50-60 people, and that law enforcement personnel had ejected them from the polling center to maintain order. The officer also said that the assault on the independent candidate took place outside the polling center premises.
The officer added that the police would collect video footage of the incident and investigate. He said that those responsible for the assault would be brought to justice.[7]
Result of the by-election
editMohammad A. Arafat was elected as member of Parliament by defeating Independent candidate Hero Alom.[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Mohammad A. Arafat | 28,816 | 77.80 | N/A | |
| Independent | Ashraful Alom | 5,609 | 15.14 | N/A | |
| JP(E) | Sikdar Anisur Rahman | 1,328 | N/A | ||
| Zaker Party | Md Rashidul Hasan | 923 | N/A | ||
| Grassroots BNP | Sheikh Habibur Rahman | 202 | N/A | ||
| Bangladesh Sankritik Muktijot | Md Akhtar Hossain | 64 | N/A | ||
| Independent | Md Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan | 52 | N/A | ||
| BCP | Rezaul Islam Swapan | 43 | N/A | ||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | 37,037 | 11.51 | |||
| Registered electors | 325,205 | ||||
| AL hold | |||||
Reactions
editNational
editInternational
editThe United Nations high commission of Bangladesh showed their concerns over the actions and requested for his protection.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Actor Farooque passes away". Dhaka Tribune. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Arafat wins Dhaka-17 by-election". The Daily Star. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Dhaka-17 by-polls: Arafat wins by huge margin amid low turnout". Dhaka Tribune. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Constituency Maps of Bangladesh" (PDF). Bangladesh Election Commission. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Delimitation of Constituencies" (PDF). Bangladesh Election Commission (in Bengali). 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
- ^ "Dhaka-17 by-polls: Hero Alom gets symbol, Tariqul gets back candidature". Dhaka Tribune. 26 June 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Watch: Shocking video of Hero Alom assaulted by mob goes viral, the actor-social media influencer hospitalized". The Times of India. 2023-07-18. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
- ^ "Awami League's Arafat wins Dhaka-17 by-election, turnout only 11.5%". Bdnews24.com. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "মোট ভোটার সোয়া ৩ লাখ, আরাফাত জিতলেন ২৮৮১৬ ভোট পেয়ে". The Daily Star (in Bengali). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Awami League candidate Arafat wins Dhaka-17 by-polls". Prothom Alo. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Gwen Lewis on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
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