Hardline outfit Jamaat-e-Islami alleges irregularities, calls for recount in 30 seats

Dhaka: Amid preparations by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to form the next govt, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Saturday called for a recount in 30 constituencies for the 13th parliamentary election, alleging irregularities in the vote-counting process.

Speaking at a press conference, Jamaat leaders said a recount could significantly alter the outcomes at several of the 30 seats. Jamaat assistant secretary general and head of its central publicity department Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer urged the authorities to suspend the swearing-in of declared winners in the disputed constituencies until the recount process is completed. He alleged that the results were "deliberately altered to defeat the candidates of Jamaat and the 11-party alliance," claiming that certain officials in the administration and Election Commission were complicit in the poll irregularities. The party, he said, is pursuing legal remedies over the matter.