A calculation of the votes cast in Monday's election showed that Awami League (AL) bagged about 25 percent more votes in this election than it had in 2001.

It secured 40.13 percent of popular votes in 2001, which got jacked up to 49.02 percent this time around.

On the other hand, the number of popular

votes cast for BNP in the just concluded 9th parliamentary election got reduced by 20 percent compared to its gain in 2001 election.

In 2001 it had got 40.97 percent of the votes cast which got reduced to 32.74 percent on December 29,2008.

These numbers clearly indicate a swing from BNP to AL among voters, at least by 20 percent.

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Dhaka Thursday January 1,2009 JL.

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A pre-poll survey conducts by The Daily Star and Nielsei showed that 37 percent o voters were likely to swing.

AI. got over 1.21 crore mon votes this time than it had it 2001. which is 1.14 crore vote: more than what its archriva BNP got on Monday. The gaj this time is bigger too.

This election also set a nev record in voter turnout, as 8; percent of registered voter: voted compared to 2001 election's 75.59 percent.

In contrast to AL's gain ir the latest election, the numbei of votes cast for BNP or Monday remained almosi static compared to the number in 2001. although this poll saw over 60 lakh new voters.

BNP had bagged 2.28,33.978 votes in 2001 fielding 252 candidates, while in the just concluded poll it got 2,30,86,460 votes nominating 259 contenders and winning 29 seats.

BNP got 32.74 percent ol votes cast in the latest poll, a decrease from 40.97 percent it had got in 2001.

In 2001 the gap between the numbers of votes gained by BNP and AL was only

46.84 lakh, but the difference between the numbers of seats won by the two parties was 131.

In the latest poll, AL obtained 3,45,64.068 votes which is 49.02 percent of the total number of votes cast, nominating 263 candidates and winning 230 seats.

In 2001, the party nominated candidates in 300 constituencies and grabbed 2.23.65,516 votes, but managed to win only 62 seats.

The percentage of votes cast for AL climbed about 9 percentage point compared to the percentage of votes it got in 2001.

This rise’led to AL's landslide victory, creating a new record of winning a two third majority by a single party since restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1991.

In 1996 election AL got 1.58,82,792 votes which was 37.44 percent of the total number of votes cast while BNP got 1,42,55,986 votes or 33.06 percent. In that poll, the total number of voters* was 5.67.16,935.

According to political analysts, AL’s electoral pledge for building a digital Bangladesh, bringing prices of essentials down within the people's purchasing capacity, generating employment for at least one member in a family, and its commitment to be tough against militancy attracted voters to the party in Monday's election.

In addition to those, BNP-led alliance's five years of miss rule, unbridled corruption, and unmitigated sufferings of the people under the regime mainly due to unbridled price hike of essentials and an acute crisis of power supply made the people to opt for promises of change.

There were enough scope for casting fake votes in previous elections and many fake votes were cast too. But that scope was not there in this election due to a voter list with photographs meaning in this election a voter entered a polling station to cast vote only after proving his or her identitybeyondadoubt.

DIVISION WISE BREAKDOWN AL got 49.39 lakh votes more in Monday s poll in Dhaka division than it had obtained in 2001. This rise awarded the party unprecedented victory in the division, wiping out

archrival BNP from its own stronghold altogether.

In Monday’s poll, AL obtained 1.27.63.077 votes and won >6 seats out of the 94 in the division while in 2001 it had got 78,23,420 votes and 30 seats out of 90 in the division back then.

In a defeating contrast. BNP obtained 72,18.438 votes and won 56 seats in the division in 2001while obtaining 72,92,355 votes in Monday's election without managing to win any of the 94 seats.

In Rajshahi division AL got 73,27,431 votes and won 48 seats of the division in Monday's election compared to 53,85,405 votes and 9 seats in 2001.

BNP obtained 56,29,395 votes and won only 8 seats in the division in Monday’s poll compared to 54,57,037 votes and 42 seats in 2001.

In Chittagong division, AL obtained 52,78,301 votes and won 34 seats in Monday s battle, compared to 34,71,606 votes and 4 seats in 2001.

In Monday s battle BNP got 49,90,188 votes winning only 17 seats in the division compared to its gain of 49.70,253 votes and 50 seats in 2001

In Khulna division, AL obtained 49,95,584 votes winning 30 seats in the latest battle of ballots compared to its 2001 record of getting 31. 62,612 votes and winning 6 seats.

BNP there obtained 26, 51,007 votes and 2 seats in the latest battle compared to its record of getting 25,42,027 votes and 20 seats in 2001.

In Barisal division, AL in latest poll obtained 19,08.451 votes and 16 seats compared to 11.46.013 votes and 2 seats in 2001.

BNP on the other hand obtained 12,02,297 votes and 2 seats there this time compared to its 2001 record of 14,49,137 votes and 18 seats.

In the latest election BNP lost the entire Sylhet division obtaining 13,21,218 votes, compared to its 2001gain of 11,97,086 votes and 9 seats.

AL there obtained 22,91,224 votes in Monday's battle and won 17 seats compared to 13,76,460 votes and 7 seats in 2001.

- Ui Mondays poll latiytv Party’, a component of AL-led grand electoral alliance, obtained 46,90.166 votes which is 6.65 percent of the total number of votes cast, while Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component of BNP-led four-party alliance, obtained 32,09,226 votes or 4.55 percent of the votes cast.

VOTER TURN OUT

In The Daily Star's calculation. 7,05,14,919 out of a total of 8,10,58,698 registered voters cast their votes in 299 constituencies in the December 29, 2008 parliamentary election, a staggering 87 percent of voters. the highest record of votes cast in any parliamentary election in the history of Bangladesh.

The Election Commission is likely to brief the media today on the detailed official data of vote casting in the 9th parliamentary poll and is also likely to publish an official gazette today declaring the official poll result.

According to the unofficial results announced by the commission, in about a half of the constituencies around 90 percent of voters cast their votes on Monday.