Today’s by-election to the Gazipur-2 parliamentary constituency will be the 16th by-poll since the last national elections held on October 1, 2001.

Of the last 15 by-polls, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party won 13, former president Badruddoza Chowdhury’s Bikalpadhara Bangladesh won one and an independent candidate won the other.

The opposition Awami League fielded candidates in six of the 15 by-elections, but failed to win any of them. In the process, the AL failed to retain four seats that they had won in the general elections.

In the general elections, the Awami League got 62 seats out of 300. Sheikh Hasina and Abdur Razzak won multiple seats — four and two respectively — in the general elections, and under constitutional compulsions each had to give up all but one seat, lowering the AL’s strength in the House to 58.

Later, an independent lawmaker joined the party, raising its number to 59. But the assassination of Ahsanullah Master of Gazipur constituency and the death of Abdul Momin of Netrokona lowered the figure to 57.

The Awami League contested all the four by-elections in question, but failed to retain any of them. All the four seats went to the BNP. The main opposition also unsuccessfully took part in the by-elections to two more seats, vacated by BNP lawmakers.

On the other hand, the BNP had secured 193 seats in the general elections and the number has risen to 196.

The party vacated six seats as Khaleda Zia, Saifur Rahman and Harun-ur-Rashid Khan Monno originally won five, two and two seats respectively. In the by-elections, the party retained five of them, while one went to an independent candidate.

Besides, two seats were vacated due to the deaths of two BNP lawmakers — one in Netrokona and the other in Kustia. The BNP retained both the seats.

Two other seats were vacated due to the resignation of two BNP legislators — one from Dhaka and the other from Munshiganj. Of the two by-elections, BNP won one seat and the Bikalpadhara the other.

Notably, the Munshiganj-1 constituency has witnessed two by-elections since the October 2001 polls.

It was vacated first when erstwhile BNP leader Badruddoza Chowdhury became president of the republic. In the subsequent by-election Mahi B Chowdhury, Badruddoza’s son, retained the seat for the BNP.

The seat fell vacant again when Mahi, along with Abdul Mannan of Dhaka-10 constituency, resigned from parliament to float Bikalpadhara. In the by-elections, Dhaka-10 went to the BNP while Mahi retained Munshiganj-1.

The Awami League had extended support to the Bikalpadhra candidates in both the by-elections.