The Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has said that while minor issues may be overlooked, his party will not remain silent on any serious irregularities. “If it’s a small matter, we can ignore it. But if it’s something major, we will not compromise. We will take whatever steps are necessary, because we do not want people’s voting rights to be taken away under any circumstances,” he stated.

Shafiqur Rahman made these remarks on Thursday morning after casting his ballot at the Monipur High School polling center (boys’ section) in Mirpur-2, Dhaka. He is contesting the Dhaka-15 constituency as a candidate of the 11-party electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.

Reflecting on past elections, he said that in 2014, 2018, and 2024 he had been in prison and was unable to vote. “After missing three elections, by the grace of Allah I have been able to cast my vote today. I pray that this election marks the beginning of a new chapter for Bangladesh,” he said.

He added that many young people in the country, who had never had the opportunity to vote before, had been eagerly waiting for this day. He expressed hope that the election would be peaceful, fair, free of conflict, and acceptable to all.

The Jamaat leader further said he hopes the vote will lead to the formation of a government that represents the entire population of 180 million people, rather than serving any individual, family, or single political party. After voting at the Monipur center, he offered prayers of gratitude and mentioned that he would visit other polling stations as well.

Calling for collective efforts to build the nation, Shafiqur Rahman said the country must move forward together and that he expects responsible support from the media in this process. He emphasized that no one should be deprived of their voting rights and added that if an election is conducted in a free and neutral manner, its outcome should be accepted by all parties. “That is the beauty of democracy,” he remarked.

He urged citizens to come out of their homes, exercise their right to vote, and become proud participants in shaping the state.

Addressing the role of media, he said news is sometimes presented differently by different outlets. He added that wrongdoing should be opposed—whoever commits it, even himself—but warned that falsely labeling something as a crime when it is not would itself be a serious offense.

According to Election Commission data, voting in Dhaka-15 is taking place at 137 polling centers, with 351,718 registered voters. Among them are 179,616 men, 172,098 women, and 4 registered third-gender voters.

A total of eight candidates are contesting in the constituency, including Shafiqur Rahman and candidates from BNP, Jatiya Party, and several other political parties.