Thakurgaon-1 by-election concludes peacefully in Bangladesh

The by-election for the Thakurgaon-1 constituency in Bangladesh concluded on Thursday, with Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed reporting a peaceful voting process. Voting took place from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM across 185 polling stations, serving over 516,000 voters.

The EC expressed satisfaction with the election environment, noting that the atmosphere was festive and no significant untoward incidents were reported. While official turnout figures were being finalized following the close of polls, early data indicated a turnout of approximately 48% by 2:00 PM.

The election featured five candidates, with the primary contest occurring between Mirza Faisal Amin of the BNP and Delwar Hossain of Jamaat-e-Islami. During the process, the Jamaat candidate raised concerns regarding the identification of a presiding officer, alleging that the official's ID card lacked a photograph. However, election officials maintained that monitoring cells, including the use of drones and body cameras, were in place to ensure security and transparency.