Jamaat Ameer defeated at his own polling centre

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman was narrowly defeated at his own polling centre in the Dhaka-15 constituency during the 13th National Parliamentary Election, according to initial unofficial results released on Thursday night.

The closely watched contest at the Monipur High School Polling Centre ended with Dr Shafiqur Rahman trailing his nearest rival by just five votes, making it one of the tightest results reported in the constituency so far.

According to information obtained from Election Commission officials and local sources, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, contesting with his party symbol “scales,” secured 560 votes at the centre. His main opponent, BNP candidate Mohammad Shafiqul Islam Khan, who ran with the party’s “sheaf of paddy” symbol, received 565 votes.

The narrow margin kept party agents and supporters on edge throughout the counting process, as the lead shifted during successive rounds of ballot tabulation.

While results from other polling centres in Dhaka-15 were still being compiled at the time of reporting, the outcome at his own centre was seen as symbolically significant given Dr Shafiqur Rahman’s candidacy in the constituency.

Final results will be confirmed by the Election Commission after completion of counting across all centres in the seat.