The hardline Jamaat-e-Islami party claims irregularities and calls for a recount in 30 seats

Dhaka: As the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) prepares to form the next government, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Party on Saturday called for a recount in 30 constituencies of the 13th parliamentary elections, alleging irregularities in the counting process. Union leaders told a news conference that the recount could significantly change the outcome in several of the 30 seats. Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer, Jamaat assistant secretary-general and head of the central publicity department, urged authorities to suspend the swearing-in of the declared winner in the disputed constituency until the recount process is completed. He claimed that the election results were “deliberately altered to defeat the candidates of the Congress Party and the 11-party alliance” and alleged that certain officials in the government and the Election Commission were involved in voting irregularities. He said the party was seeking legal remedies over the matter.