A historic landslide for Hasina

In a landslide reminiscent of the historic 1970 victory that led to the war and birth of Bangladesh, the Awami League on Monday sealed a remarkable majority that would give the party the power to rewrite the constitution and bring about promised reforms.

With all the 299 seats called, the party that led the country’s independence war won a staggering 230 seats.

Arch rivals BNP were reduced to a paltry 29. Its allies—BJP 1 and Jamaat-e-Islami 2—won another three.

The AL’s grand alliance partner Jatiya Party bagged an impressive 27 seats.

Other AL allies secured another five, taking the grand total for the grand alliance to 262.

Four independents won; LDP’s Oli Ahmed could manage one of the two he ran for.

A second Sheikh Hasina-led government in seven and a half years became a certainty as the AL-led alliance secured more than 152 in results available from just 171 seats at around 1am Tuesday morning—exactly nine hours after voting closed.

As early results were coming in, a massive AL victory was clearly in sight just hours into the counting, propelling the prime minister-elect into action; she instructed her party activists to stay calm and not to organise rallies, processions.

Hasina won all three seats she contested—Gopalganj-3, Bagerhat-2 and Rangpur-6.

Two-term former prime minister Khaleda Zia won her three seats—Feni-1, Bogra-6 and 7.

Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad also clinched his three seats—Rangpur-3, Dhaka-17 and Kurigram-2.

A number of heavyweights lost their long-held seats, with such stalwarts as former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, Jamaat’s Motiur Rahman Nizami, JP’s Roushan Ershad, BNP’s Moudud Ahmed and Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar leading the list.

AL’s Abul Maal Abdul Muhit beat Saifur Rahman, who probably ran his last election, in Sylhet-1 constituency, which has always been a ruling party seat since 1971.

Obaidul Kader of AL snatched Noakhali-5 from Moudud Ahmed; independence war commander AK Khandaker won Pabna-2 for AL.

In Panchagarh-1, the Speaker, who will administer the oath to the new MPs, failed to become an MP; Mozaharul Huq Pradhan got the seat.

Hasanul Haq Inu of JSD, who ran as a grand alliance nominee with AL’s boat as his symbol, became MP for the first time, winning Kushtia-2.

Rashed Khan Menon of Workers Party who also ran with boat made it from a Dhaka seat.

Dipu Moni, the cerebral AL leader, fought successfully for Chandpur-3.

The BNP-led four-party alliance won all three Feni seats.

AL nominees won all three seats from the hill districts.

Grand alliance candidates also ran away with Dhaka-20, Kushtia-1, 2 and 3, Rajshahi-2 and 3, Naogaon-5 and 6, Jhalakathi-2, Comilla-1 and Jhenadiah-3, Sylhet 4, Jessore-1, 4, 6, Bagerhat-1, Pabna-2, Panchagarh-2, Dinajpur-1,2,3, Noakhali-5 and Dhaka-19, Faridpur-1, 2, 3, 4, Nilphamari-1,2,3,4, and Satkhira 1-2.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojaheed came third in Faridpur-3 after AL and a rogue BNP independent.

BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, IOJ chief Fazlul Huq Amini, and former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan lost—all to AL nominees.

Former BNP health minister Khondoker Mosharraf Hossain lost his Comilla-1 seat to retired major general Subid Ali Bhuiyan of AL.

In Chittagong-10, fellow businessman M H Latif stunned former BNP commerce minister Amir Khosru M Chowdhury.

Abdullah Al Noman lost a redrawn Chittagong-9 to AL’s Afsarul Amin.

Former Rajshahi mayor Mizanur Rahman Minu, former BNP minister Hasrunur Rashid Khan Monno (Manikganj), former deputy minister Asadul Habib Dulu (Lalmonirhat) all lost their seats to grand alliance candidates.

Minu finally succumbed to WP’s Fazle Hossdain Badshah, another titan in local politics.

LDP chief Oli Ahmed, a former BNP minister, lost his Satkania (Ctg 14) seat to a Jamaat candidate, but won Chittagong 13 (Chandnaish) seat.

Former BNP minister Abdul Moyeen Khan failed to win his Narshindi-2 seat.

Former home and commerce minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, a rertired air force general, lost his Patuakhali -1 seat.

A former army chief, Mahbubur Rahman, also failed to defend his seat.

Former First Lady Roushan Ershad lost in disputed Gaibandha-5 to ‘ally’ AL’s Fazle Rabbi and Mymensingh-4 to district AL president Principal Matiur Rahman.

Former president A Q M Badruddoza Chowdhury of Bikalpa Dhara failed to put up a fight in Dhaka-6 where Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka lost to Mizanur Rahman Khan Dipu.

The former president came out a poor third (37,147) in Munshiganj-1 where a film producer, Sukumer Ranjan Ghosh (143,120), who ran on AL ticket, won. Shah Moazzem Hossain, former Jatiya Party deputy prime minister but a BNP nominee this time, was second (98,781) to Ghosh.

In Munshiganj-3, BNP standing committee member M Shamsul Islam, a 0former information and commerce minister, lost to M Idris Ali of AL.

Former state minister for health Mizanur Rahman Sinha lost to former AL MP Shagufta Yasmin Emily in Munshiganj-2.

JP’s Kazi Zafar Ahmed, a former prime minister, was third behind winner AL’s Mujibul Huq Mujib and Jamaat’s Abdullah Taher.

Ref: BDNews24.com (http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?cid=30&id=67657&hb=0)