DHAKA: Bangladesh Star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, currently captain of the one-day team, who contested from Magura-1 constituency for the Awami League (AL) party, has secured victory in the elections by receiving 185,388 votes, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Hasan’s nearest rival, Kazi Rezaul Hossain, secured 45,993 votes. The total number of centres in the Magura-1 constituency is 152, according to Dhaka Tribune report.
Voting in the 12th national polls ended on Sunday. Voting in Bangladesh started at 8 am (local time) at 261,912 polling booths in 42,024 voting centres and continued until 4 pm (local time) with 299 parliamentary seats up for election, according to Dhaka Tribune report.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won the Gopalganj-3 constituency in a landslide victory, her eighth term as a Member of Parliament. Hasina’s party secured victory in 223 seats to form the government in the election conducted on Sunday.
She received 249,962 votes while her nearest rival, Md Atiqur Rahman, got 6,999 votes. Meanwhile, another candidate, Mahabur Mollah, received 425 votes.
During a campaign event in Magura on Tuesday, Hasan arrived in an SUV, acknowledged the crowd like a seasoned politician, and quickly went inside the auditorium, where several people were waiting for him as he appeared for an interview with a popular YouTuber and talk show host, Rafsan Sabab, Al Jazeera reported.
The cricketer who came for an election event, which was a part of his PR campaign, received a rousing welcome as people waited for him for a long time.
In the interview, Shabab asked the cricketer, “Every district of Bangladesh has its own speciality, be it food, garment or a monument. Here in Magura, when I ask anyone about its speciality, they unanimously say, Shakib Al Hasan.”
“Yes, I would have said the same,” Hasan wryly responded, according to Al Jazeera report.
Shakib, currently the captain of Bangladesh’s one-day team, is ranked the number one all-rounder by the International Cricket Council in two of the three formats of the game simultaneously: one-day internationals (ODIs) and T20I formats.
The southpaw’s prowess and importance to the team are reflected in his consistent performance for the Tigers; no other Bangladesh player has scored more runs in the T20I. He is also one of the first names that pops up for red-ball cricket.
Prior to the polls, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had told Shakib Al Hasan to “hit a six” in the 12th national election on January 7, Dhaka Tribune reported.
“You do not need to give a speech. You can hit a six, and you can take wickets with the ball. Just hit a six again in the election,” the Prime Minister said to the ace allrounder, calling him a gem.
Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was addressing an election rally at the Government Rajendra College ground in Faridpur on Tuesday. (ANI)