Who are the seven women candidates elected to Bangladesh parliament?
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during Bangladesh’s national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP Photo)In the 13th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, seven women candidates have been elected and most of them are from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), local reports stated.
According to Prothom Alo, a total of 85 women contested the national elections, voting for which took place on Thursday. As per latest data, seven of them have been declared winners.
The BNP, which is set to form the next government in Bangladesh after securing an absolute majority in the elections, witnessed six of its women nominees win their respective seats, the Dhaka Tribune reported citing unofficial results.
Who are the women candidates?
The six women nominees from BNP who secured victory in the 13th national elections are:
- Afroza Khan Rita from Manikganj-3
- Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto from Jhalokati-2
- Tahsina Rushdir Luna from Sylhet-2
- Shama Obaid from Faridpur-2
- Nayab Yusuf Kamal from Faridpur-3
- Farzana Sharmin Putul from Natore-1.
- The seventh woman candidate, Barrister Rumin Farhana, who had previously been expelled from the BNP won from the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency as an independent candidate.
However, the results which have been announced are based on the unofficial tallies after the voting concluded and counting had begun across the country.
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The BNP had given tickets to 10 women candidates among the 300 constituencies in the polls.
Bangladesh election results
With BNP sweeping victory in 212 seats, it is poised to form the next government in Bangladesh led by former Prime Minister late Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman. The Jamaat-e-Islami, leading an 11-party alliance has won 77 seats while eight seats have been secured by independents and others.
Bangladesh’s national legislature comprises 350 members, out of which 300 are elected directly while the 50 seats are reserved for women.
Notably, it was the first election in Bangladesh in decades without a female leader in the leading position.
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Deposed leader Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League had been banned by the interim government to contest elections and her arch-rival Khaleda Zia passed away in December after a prolonged illness.