Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami alliance submits complaints over 32 constituencies, alleging fake votes and violence, despite a peaceful post-election transition.

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Islamist-led coalition has formally challenged the results of this week’s general election.

The Jamaat-e-Islami alliance submitted complaints to the Election Commission on Sunday, disputing outcomes in 32 constituencies.

The coalition lost its chance to form the next government after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secured a sweeping victory.

According to official results, the BNP alliance won 212 seats compared to 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led bloc.

Senior Jamaat official Hamidur Rahman Azad alleged the process was marred by irregularities.

“The election day began smoothly, but the ending was not what we had expected,” Azad said.

He cited fake votes, the circulation of black money, threats, assaults, and attacks as factors in their defeat.

Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman had already conceded defeat on Saturday.

He pledged his party would “serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition”.

Police records show five people died and over 600 were injured in political clashes during the campaign.

Despite this pre-poll turbulence, voting day itself passed without major unrest.

The country has so far responded to the results with relative calm.

Police reported at least two people killed in post-poll clashes.

Scattered acts of vandalism and assaults were also reported in several districts.

Both Jamaat-e-Islami and its ally, the National Citizen Party, reported attacks on their supporters.

NCP loyalists marched through Dhaka University campus in protest against the BNP on Friday.

Police spokesman AHM Shahadat Hossain said over 150,000 personnel were deployed to maintain peace.

He added that police were trained to tackle pre- and post-election violence.

The Election Commission said turnout was 59% across 299 of the 300 constituencies where voting was held.

Only seven women were directly elected to parliament.

A further 50 seats reserved for women will be allocated to parties based on their vote share.

Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus.

Hindus constitute roughly 7% of the population in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Newly elected lawmakers are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.

BNP leader Tarique Rahman is then set to become the country’s next prime minister.

These were the first polls since a 2024 uprising ousted the autocratic government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

 The Sun Malaysia