Voting Today in Thakurgaon-1 By-Election: 516,138 Voters at 185 Centres After Eve-of-Poll Counter-Allegations by the Two Main Candidates

Voting is taking place today, Thursday (October 29), in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election. On the day before the vote, Wednesday, the two main candidates — Jamaat-e-Islami's Delawar Hossain and the BNP's Mirza Faisal Amin — traded counter-allegations over the election environment. Voting runs continuously from 8am to 4pm today.

According to the election office, the Thakurgaon-1 constituency covers the Sadar, Ruhia and Bhulli areas and has a total of 185 polling centres: 113 in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, 33 in the newly formed Ruhia upazila and 39 in Bhulli upazila.

The constituency has a total of 516,138 voters. A total of 287 voters have registered to vote by postal ballot.

At a press conference at a restaurant in Thakurgaon town on Wednesday evening (October 28), Jamaat candidate Delawar Hossain said they had come to contest the election and wanted to stay in the field to the end. He said they still had confidence in the election preparations and the role of the administration. However, if a situation like the 1994 Magura election arose, necessary steps would be taken considering the immediate circumstances, he added.

At the press conference, Delawar Hossain alleged that his campaign was being obstructed, his leaders and workers were being attacked, and voters were being intimidated at their homes. He also alleged that government officials and employees were being used in election activities. For these reasons, he expressed concern over whether voters would be able to reach the centres without hindrance.

Delawar Hossain also voiced concern over voter turnout. In his view, because it is a by-election, many voters staying outside the area may show less interest. Combined with the allegations of threats and intimidation, this had created uncertainty over the voting environment.

Responding to a BNP allegation that there was a plan to prevent minority voters from coming to the polling centres, Delawar Hossain said the allegation was false and baseless. Every citizen, regardless of religion or caste, has the right to vote safely, he said, and he called on all voters, including followers of the Sanatan faith, to come to the centres without fear and exercise their franchise.

Protesting the Jamaat candidate's remarks, Mirza Faisal Amin held a press conference at the district BNP office on Wednesday night. He said planned, false and fabricated allegations were being raised in an attempt to make the election questionable and controversial. He claimed leaders and workers of the 11-party alliance were raising one allegation after another to mislead voters, and that several of the allegations had been proven false through the proper authorities.

Mirza Faisal Amin said attempts were being made to create controversy over the election environment, sometimes through falsehoods and sometimes through allegations of attacks and threats. He also denied allegations of giving money to voters. Saying the BNP was not involved in such activities, he said there was no proof of those allegations. Rather, he claimed, there was plenty of proof that Jamaat had given money.

On accepting the result, Mirza Faisal Amin said he would accept the outcome whatever it was. In his view, not accepting the result means not believing in democratic ideals; the essence of democracy is respecting the people's opinion. He expressed hope that voters of all classes and professions would go to the centres spontaneously and vote.

Delawar Hossain, for his part, described the election as a test of restoring public trust in the electoral system. He said a free, fair and neutral election is possible even under a party government, and through today's vote the administration must take responsibility for setting that example. Party leaders and workers were present at both press conferences.

According to the history of the candidate list, after scrutiny of nomination papers ended on September 29, six candidates' nominations were declared valid for this by-election: the BNP's Mirza Faisal Amin and Md Obaidullah Masud, Jamaat-e-Islami and allied parties' candidate Delawar Hossain, Hafez Dr Md Khademul Islam, Md Abdul Alim Nizami, and Husain Muhammad Omar Faruk. However, on October 5, district BNP vice-president Md Obaidullah Masud withdrew his candidacy, citing a party decision. Five candidates therefore remain in the final contest, with Mirza Faisal Amin and Delawar Hossain among the main contenders.

The seat fell vacant because of the presidential election. In the presidential election on August 20, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected President, defeating the 11-party unity's candidate, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chairman Col. (retd) Oli Ahmed, by 255 votes. His election as President vacated the Thakurgaon-1 seat, and a by-election was later arranged for it.