Dhaka, March 25 (NationPress) The radical Islamist organization Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh has claimed that their alliance candidates faced close defeats during the national elections held on February 12. They attributed these losses to various electoral malpractices, such as delays in results, absence of polling agent signatures, forged endorsements, and instances of pencil-marked tallies.

Jamaat has indicated that it is addressing these alleged electoral issues through formal legal procedures, opting not to engage in significant on-ground mobilization at this time, according to a recent report.

“In the evolving political scenario post-elections, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has implemented multiple tactics to exert pressure on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) administration. Leading a coalition of 11 parties, the organization has submitted a request to the Election Commission (EC) for a recount in 32 electoral districts. Candidates from their alliance have also contested the results in court for at least 13 of these districts,” detailed a report from the Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo.

“Furthermore, Jamaat has raised concerns regarding the involvement of Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Khalilur Rahman, two former advisors to the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, and has called for their interrogation and legal responsibility,” it added.

In the 13th national parliamentary elections, the BNP secured a commanding majority, winning 209 seats independently and a total of 212 in coalition, while Jamaat achieved 68 seats on its own and 77 as part of an alliance.

As reported, just two days after the elections, on February 15, the 11-party alliance approached the EC seeking recounts for 32 constituencies, where vote margins varied from 1,026 to 13,632 votes.

“Among these seats, 25 were candidates from Jamaat, three from the National Citizen Party (NCP), two from Khelafat Majlis, and one each from the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP),” it noted.

Following complaints to the EC, 12 candidates have thus far initiated legal disputes in courts from late February until last week, including Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar from the Khulna-5 constituency.

Earlier, on March 5, Jamaat organized a press conference advocating for a legal investigation and interrogation of the two advisors for what they termed “election engineering”—a demand reiterated by party leaders repeatedly.

In an interview with Prothom Alo, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar emphasized that their primary focus is on the two former advisors, while questions about the impartiality of other leaders in the interim government will be addressed in due course.

“We are indeed calling for a thorough investigation. This is crucial for examining the allegations. Whether the inquiry is conducted directly by the government or through judicial means is a decision for the government to make. However, we firmly insist on this demand. For now, this is the position we hold,” Porwar stated.