The recently concluded national referendum saw the ‘Yes’ vote secure a decisive victory nationwide. However, significant discrepancies in official data released by the Election Commission (EC) have raised serious concerns, with reported turnout in one constituency reaching an extraordinary 244 percent.
According to the EC, a total of 127,702,334 registered voters were eligible to participate in the 13th parliamentary election and the simultaneous referendum. Of them, 60.26 percent reportedly cast their ballots in the referendum. Official figures show that 48,074,429 voters supported the ‘Yes’ option, while 22,565,627 voted ‘No’. Additionally, 7,402,285 ballots were declared invalid.
Despite the nationwide victory of the ‘Yes’ camp — securing approximately 62.47 percent of the valid vote compared to 29.32 percent for ‘No’ — an analysis of constituency-level data reveals glaring irregularities.
Turnout Exceeds 244% in Rajshahi-4
In Rajshahi-4, the EC initially reported that 781,523 votes were cast in the referendum, although the total number of registered voters in the constituency stands at 319,909. This translates into a turnout rate of 244.295 percent.
Of the votes cast in the constituency, 612,229 were recorded in favor of ‘No’ and 145,382 in favor of ‘Yes’. The parliamentary seat was won by a candidate from Jamaat-e-Islami.
Disparities in Sirajganj-1 and Netrokona Seats
In contrast, Sirajganj-1 recorded an unusually low referendum turnout of just 7.899 percent, far below the 60.83 percent turnout reported for the parliamentary vote held the same day.
Further inconsistencies were found in Netrokona-3, Netrokona-4, and Netrokona-5. In Netrokona-3, for example, the number of ‘Yes’ votes (502,438) exceeded the total number of registered voters (420,686). However,
the total votes cast were listed as only 238,358, with turnout shown at 56.659 percent — figures that appear mathematically incompatible.
Similar anomalies were observed in Netrokona-4 and Netrokona-5, where data discrepancies remain unresolved.
‘No’ Wins in 11 Constituencies
Out of 299 parliamentary constituencies, the ‘No’ vote prevailed in 11 seats. These include all three constituencies in the Chittagong Hill Tracts — Khagrachhari, Rangamati, and Bandarban — as well as all three seats in Gopalganj.
In Gopalganj-1, 128,298 voters cast ballots for ‘No’, compared to 54,716 for ‘Yes’. Gopalganj-2 and Gopalganj-3 also recorded significantly higher ‘No’ votes than ‘Yes’.
Other constituencies where ‘No’ secured victory include Jhenaidah-1, Sunamganj-2, Chattogram-8, Chattogram-12, and Rajshahi-4.
Late-Night Revisions
The EC revised results for Rajshahi-4 and Sirajganj-1 late at night, publishing updated figures that reportedly increased the percentage and number of ‘Yes’ votes while decreasing ‘No’ votes. However, discrepancies in Netrokona-3, Netrokona-4, and Netrokona-5 remained unaddressed at the time of publication.
The reported anomalies have sparked renewed debate over data management, transparency, and the integrity of the referendum process.
