Fakhrul gets 8 independent, Islami Andolan MP votes beyond BNP tally

BNP presidential candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir secured votes from seven independent lawmakers and one Islami Andolan Bangladesh MP beyond the BNP's own parliamentary strength in today's (20 August) presidential election.

Fakhrul received 255 votes in total, while 244 came from BNP lawmakers. The remaining 11 votes came from three coalition partners, seven independent MPs and one Islami Andolan Bangladesh MP.

Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni told The Business Standard that he initially could not reconcile the vote count. Later, he found that seven independent MPs and one Islami Andolan Bangladesh MP had voted for Fakhrul.

The three votes from BNP's coalition partners, along with the eight votes from outside the BNP alliance, brought Fakhrul's total to 255, he said.

Of the BNP's 211 elected lawmakers, 208 MPs and all 36 reserved-seat women lawmakers voted for Fakhrul, according to parliamentary sources. Three BNP lawmakers could not vote due to illness.

Three lawmakers from BNP's coalition partners also voted for Fakhrul. Seven independent MPs backed him, while one lawmaker elected with Islami Andolan Bangladesh's "hand fan" symbol also voted for the BNP candidate.

Fakhrul's rival, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, who contested with the backing of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, received 88 votes.

Voting was held from 2pm to 5pm at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban today. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced the result around 5:30pm after the votes were counted.

Of the 349 eligible voters, 343 cast their ballots, all of which were declared valid.