Seven independent candidates — all former or expelled leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party — won seats in the 13th National Parliament election after contesting without party nominations.
Voting was held Thursday in 299 of the 300 constituencies. The vote in Sherpur-3 was postponed following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate.
With unofficial results available for 297 seats, BNP and its allies secured 212 seats, enough for more than a two-thirds majority. Jamaat-e-Islami and its allies won 77 seats. Islami Andolan Bangladesh won one seat, while independents claimed seven.
BNP is set to form the government for the first time in nearly two decades.
Independent winners
Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail, Ashuganj and part of Bijoynagar)
Rumin Farhana, contesting as an independent with the swan symbol, won with 117,495 votes. Her closest rival, Junaid Al Habib of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, received 79,927 votes — a margin of 37,568. A former BNP lawmaker, she ran independently after being denied party nomination.
Tangail-3 (Ghatail)
Former BNP leader and former state minister Lutfar Rahman Khan Azad won with 107,901 votes under the motorcycle symbol. BNP candidate Obaidul Haque Nasir received 82,769 votes. Azad was expelled from BNP after contesting as a rebel.
Kishoreganj-5 (Bajitpur-Nikli)
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman secured 79,604 votes. BNP candidate Syed Ehsanul Huda received 66,450 votes. Rahman, a former BNP candidate, was removed from his local party post after running independently.
Chandpur-4 (Faridganj)
Abdul Hannan won with 74,175 votes. BNP candidate Md. Harunur Rashid received 69,155 votes. Hannan had previously been expelled from the local BNP unit.
Comilla-7 (Chandina)
Atiqul Alam, also known as Shaon, won with 91,690 votes under the pot symbol. BNP candidate Redwan Ahmed received 48,509 votes. Alam, a former upazila BNP president, contested after being expelled.
Mymensingh-1 (Haluaghat and Dhobaura)
Salman Omar won with 107,241 votes. BNP Joint Secretary General Syed Emran Saleh received 100,736 votes. Omar was expelled after running as an independent.
Dinajpur-5
AZM Rezwanul Haque secured 114,484 votes. His closest rival, Abdul Ahad of the National Citizens Party, received 110,195 votes. Haque, a member of the BNP National Executive Committee, was expelled after contesting without party backing.
