Seven women have been elected to the 13th National Parliament, with six representing BNP and one winning as an independent candidate. The independent winner, Barrister Rumin Farhana, had been expelled from BNP but secured victory in the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency with the ‘duck’ symbol.
BNP is set to form the government after winning a clear majority. According to election results analyzed by The Business Standard, BNP secured 197 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 56. Smaller parties and independent candidates won the remaining seats across the 297 constituencies.
The BNP-nominated women elected are Afroza Khan Rita (Manikganj-3), Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto (Jhalokati-2), Tahsina Rushdir Luna (Sylhet-2), Shama Obaid (Faridpur-2), Nayab Yusuf Kamal (Faridpur-3), and Farzana Sharmin Putul (Natore-1). All six won by significant margins in their respective constituencies.
Barrister Rumin Farhana defeated BNP alliance-backed candidate Junaid Al Habib by more than 38,000 votes in Brahmanbaria-2. Several winners have strong political ties: Tahsina Rushdir Luna is the wife of missing BNP leader M. Ilyas Ali, while Shama Obaid is the daughter of former BNP Secretary General Obaidur Rahman.
Despite women constituting a large share of the electorate, female representation among directly elected MPs remains low, with only seven women entering parliament through the polls.
Source: The Business Standard
Bangladesh Feminist Archives 