Previous parliamentary opposition Jatiya Party (JP) today expressed dissatisfaction over the outcome of the 11th parliamentary election held Sunday.

Reflecting on it today, the party's Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga said: “The party expected to win more than 22 seats in the election”.

However, he said, “Our party is now stronger than before”.

“We will decide tomorrow whether we will remain as an opposition in the parliament,” he said; adding “the joint meeting will be held with the newly elected lawmakers and standing committee members at 11:00am tomorrow”.

HOW WAS THE ELECTION?

Voting for the 11th parliamentary election ended peacefully in Dhaka; but was tainted with violence elsewhere across the country and cost the lives of at least 19 people.

Reports of casualties came in from Cumilla, Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, Bogura, Noakhali, Narsingdi and Gazipur.

Allegations of vote rigging, election clashes, intimidation and irregularities came in from several other constituencies and capital Dhaka city.

Also, the election saw opposition candidates boycotting elections in at least 43 constituencies; 42 of who were Jatiya Oikyafront runners.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today alleged that the ruling Awami League is heading towards the path of “dynastic politics with an aim to materialise a one-party state” in the country.

“Who are being nominated? Who are being made chiefs of different wings of a party? You will come to understand if you pay a little attention. Only one party and one family are controlling everything.  After all, a dynastic rule is on,” Fakhrul said.

While addressing a programme at the National Press Club in Dhaka, Fakhrul termed the government as “monstrous” and called upon people to join the movement against the ruling quarter for a fresh election under a neutral Election Commission.

Awami League has nominated Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, nephew of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the party’s mayoral runner to Dhaka South City Corporation elections.

Earlier, Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash, who is also a nephew of Sheikh Hasina, has been elected as president Awami League youth wing Jubo League.

Pointing finger at both the leaders, Fakhrul said the ruling Awami League has completed all arrangement to turn Bangladesh into a one-party state.

Fakhrul said the ruling party is heading towards the path of dynastic politics ignoring all achievements of the Liberation War and destroying all organs of the state.

The BNP leader alleged that the government is appointing teachers to different public universities, including Dhaka University, based on political consideration instead of merit and competence.

Apart from this, he said teachers “with very poor educational background and poor competence” are now being made vice chancellors of different public universities only for political interest.

“The same thing is happening in appointing and recruiting judges with a motive to establish absolute supremacy in all sectors,” the BNP leader alleged.

Claiming that the country’s economy has been made an empty vessel, Fakhrul said the government is engaged in hatching conspiracy to make the state dysfunctional.

Fakhrul was speaking at a civic condolence meeting arranged by Zia Parishad at the National Press Club in memory of its founding chairman Kabir Murad, who passed away recently.

Congratulatory messages have been pouring in for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League.

The Communist Party of China (CPC), the Developing Eight Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8) and the prime minister of Sudan in separate messages have congratulated Hasina and her party for the win in the December 30 parliamentary polls.

“Delighted upon hearing the victory of the Awami League [AL] in the 11th parliamentary elections of Bangladesh, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China [CPC] wishes to extend to the AL our heartfelt congratulations,” said a CPC message on Friday.

It said the long-standing friendly relations between the two parties have played the role of political guidance in the development of Bangladesh-China strategic cooperative partnership.

“On the threshold of new and important opportunities for the development of China-Bangladesh relations, the CPC stands ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the AL in our concerted effort to build a new type of party-to-party relations that seeks to expand common ground while reserving differences, and enhances mutual respect and mutual learning and to promote the steady progress of China-Bangladesh relations at an even higher level,” the CPC said.

Meanwhile, Sudanese Prime Minister Mutaz Musa Abdalla in another message on Friday said, “On my behalf and the People and the Government of the Republic of the Sudan, it gives great honour to extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for Your Excellency's re-election as the prime minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.”

In a message issued on Thursday, D-8 Secretary-General Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari felicitated Hasina and the people of Bangladesh on the AL's re-election.

“We, in D-8 Secretariat, share the same spirit with and join the people of Bangladesh in celebrating the outcome of this election. This decisive victory is a reflection of the people's aspirations for a prosperous Bangladesh and a stronger position and more assertive role in international affairs,” said the statement.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Indian National Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani,  King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Bhutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, West Bengal and Tripura chief ministers Mamata Banerjee and Biplab Kumar Deb also congratulated Hasina and her party.

Hasina led the AL to a thumping victory in the December 30 polls, in which the ruling party-led Grand Alliance secured 288 out of the 300 seats.

A journalist has been arrested in Khulna in a case filed under the Digital Security Act for publishing “false” information on the number of votes cast in a constituency during Sunday's polls.

Hedayet Hossain Mollah, local correspondent of the Dhaka Tribune, was arrested yesterday, a day after the case was filed against two reporters, including him, with Batiaghata Police Station in the district.

The other accused is Rashidul Islam, staff reporter of the daily Manab Zamin, reports our correspondent in Khulna.

According to the initial announcement of the election results, the number of votes cast in Khulna-1 was higher than the total number of voters in the constituency. As the matter was brought to the returning officer's attention, he said it was a mistake and later came up with a correction, said local journalists.

By the time the correction could be made, the two media outlets ran reports saying the number of votes cast was around 22,000 higher than the actual number of voters, they said.

Documents provided by the returning officer's office showed 45,000 of the 2,59,420 voters did not cast their ballots.

Batiaghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer Debashish Chowdhury, also the assistant returning officer, filed the case against the two journalists.

The case statement said the accused published false, fabricated and provocative information on the voting with the use of electronic devices, including laptops, which might confuse people and create a chaotic situation.

Such activities made the “fair election” questionable, the statement said.

Mahabubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Batiaghata Police Station, told The Daily Star that they arrested Hedayet near Gallamary Bridge in connection with the case.

However, several witnesses said the journalist was picked up near Picture Palace intersection in the city when he was returning home from the Khulna Press Club.

Hedayet's wife Sayida Laila Akhter told this newspaper that she called her husband over the phone but another man picked it up and introduced himself as the OC of the police station.

“Last night, the returning officer had requested my husband to apologise for the news. Otherwise, he said my husband would face action,” she said.

Despite repeated attempts, the RO could not be reached over the phone for comments.

Handcuffed, Hedayet was produced before a district court which sent him to jail.

Meanwhile, a former deputy secretary of the Election Commission has been picked up by detectives in the city's Agargaon area for “leaking information on the election”.

Shamsul Alam was allegedly collecting election results submitted to the commission from across the country and sending those to “others”, said police and EC sources.

He was picked up near the Nirbachan Commission office on Monday night, they said.

GG Biswas, officer-in-charge of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, said the official was kept at the DB office on Mintoo Road.

Abdul Baten, additional commissioner (detectives) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they picked up Shamsul for interrogation.