A host of candidates say goodbye to their security deposits

Several candidates of smaller parties, who projected themselves as mounting a stiff competition in the elections, suffered resounding defeats in the 12th national elections and forfeited their security deposits. 

Even the Jatiyo Party (JaPa), playing a prominent role in the absence of the BNP, only secured 11 seats, with several others falling short and losing their deposits. 

Each MP aspirant must deposit Tk20,000 as security money to take part in the national election. However, they lose the deposit if they fail to secure one eighth of the total number of votes cast, according to Article 41 of the Representation of the People Order. 

Losing deposits is not uncommon but it is considered an embarrassment and is often ridiculed by voters and rivals.

Among such candidates, Trinamool BNP Secretary General Taimur Alam Khandaker got only 3,190 votes of the 3,85,616 votes cast in Narayanganj-1. He thus lost his security deposit. He needed at least 26,578 votes to get his security money back. AL candidate Golam Dastagir Gazi won the seat with 1,56,483 votes. 

JaPa Chairman GM Quader's wife Sherifa Quader also lost her deposit, bagging only 6,429 votes in Dhaka-18 where 5,88,549 votes were cast. Independent candidate Khasru bagged 79,085 votes and won the seat. Earlier, Awami League gave up this seat to JaPa.

Meanwhile, all four JaPa candidates in Brahmanbaria lost their security deposits. 

Nasir Uddin, the party's district wing secretary in Brahmanbaria, said, "Our candidates supported the Awami League and independent candidates in three of the parties. You journalists have seen the voting scene across the country. You can understand what happened."

The JaPa contested in 265 seats, just one shy of the AL's 266. The ruling party even conceded 26 seats for the JaPa.  

Film actress Sharmin Akter Nipa, widely known as Mahiya Mahi, who appeared on the election scene with a bang, also lost her security deposit. In Rajshahi-1, the independent candidate received 9,009 votes, about 4.10% of the total 4,40,218 votes cast.

The situation is dire in Cumilla, where 77 candidates, including one AL candidate, forfeited their deposits. A total of 93 candidates contested in the election from 11 constituencies of the district. 

In Satkhira, of the 30 candidates, 23 ended up losing their security deposits. In all four seats in the district, 22 candidates from 10 political parties contested along with eight independents, as EC data show.

In Lakshmipur, 22 of the 31 contenders for four seats had their deposits forfeited. 

Thirty out of 39 candidates who contested in six constituencies of Khulna lost their security money. 

Leaders of four parties are among the candidates who lost their deposits in Chattogram. They are BNF Chairman SM Abul Kalam Azad, Pragatishil Democratic Forum Chairman Nazim Uddin (contested with Trinamool ticket), Bangladesh Islami Front Chairman MA Matin, Bangladesh Tariqat Federation Chairman Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari, and Bangladesh Supreme Party Chairman Syed Saifuddin Ahmed Maizbhandari.

The activists of Islamic parties were widely visible at various programmes in Chattogram but their results were dismal.

Candidates from Bangladesh Islami Front lost security deposits in all 12 out of 16 seats, while Islamic Front Bangladesh lost deposits in all 15 seats. Bangladesh Supreme Party candidates lost security in nine seats, and Bangladesh Tariqat Federation as well as Islami Oikya Jote lost deposits in two seats each. Additionally, the Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan candidate failed to hold on to the security deposit in one seat in Chattogram.