1973 Bangladeshi general election

1973 Bangladeshi general election

← 1970 7 March 1973 (1973-03-07) 1979 →
300 of the 315 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad 151 seats needed for a majority
Registered	35,205,642
Turnout	54.91%
First party Second party Third party   Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Serajul Alam Khan Ataur Rahman Khan Party AL JSD BJL Last election 288 seats – 0 seats Seats won 293 1 1 Seat change 5 New 1 Popular vote 13,798,717 1,229,110 62,354 Percentage 73.20% 6.52% 0.33%
Prime Minister before election Sheikh Mujibur Rahman AL Subsequent Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman AL

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General elections were held in newly independent Bangladesh on 7 March 1973. The result was a victory for the Bangladesh Awami League, who won 293 of the 300 directly elected seats, including eleven constituencies where they were elected unopposed without a vote.^[1][2] 1,078 candidates and 14 political parties contested in the election. Voter turnout was 54.9%.^[3]

Though the Awami League was already the clear favourite before the elections, Sheikh Mujib's government put major effort into winning every seat. This led to an unnecessarily rigged election and a nearly complete obliteration of the opposition, with most of the leadership of opposition parties failing to win seats, including Major Jalil (Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal), Rashed Khan Menon, Kazi Zafar Ahmed and Aleem al-Razee (National Awami Party (Bhashani)), and Suranjit Sengupta (National Awami Party (Muzaffar)).^[3][4][5]

In its election manifesto, the Awami League focused on four principles - nationalism, democracy, socialism, and secularism. The pro-Soviet National Awami Party (Muzaffar) and Communist Party of Bangladesh highlighted concerns regarding corruption, political repression, and deterioration of law and order. Due to their alignment with the Awami League on fundamental policy matters, they were often considered the "B team" of the Awami League. On the other hand, the pro-Chinese National Awami Party (Bhashani) and Jatiya League concentrated on Indo-Bangladesh relations, leveraging the growing anti-India sentiment in the country. The leftist Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD)'s campaign centered around the theme of scientific socialism. During the campaign, which was marred by violence and allegations of voter intimidation, the parties accused each other of being foreign agents involved in conspiracies against the country's interests.^[4][6]

Among the competing parties, only the Awami League was able to field 300 candidates, covering all seats. This was followed by 237 candidates from JSD, 224 from NAP-M, 169 from NAP-B, and the remainder from other parties, as well as 120 independent candidates.^[6]

Prior to the elections, some opposition candidates in marginal constituencies were kidnapped by Awami League supporters before they were able to submit their nomination papers. In some constituencies where opposition candidates were leading in the vote count, counting was abruptly stopped, ballot boxes were stuffed with fake papers, and the Awami League candidates were declared winners amid the strong presence of Awami League volunteers.^[7]

It was generally believed that the Awami League, with the appeal of its leader, Sheikh Mujib, and its instrumental role in the independence of Bangladesh, would have easily won the elections without manipulation.^[7] However, the overwhelming margin of Awami League's victory was unexpected.^[4]

Party		Votes	%	Seats
				General	Reserved	Total	+/–
	Awami League	13,798,717	73.20	293	15	308	+10
	National Awami Party (Muzaffar)	1,569,299	8.32	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal	1,229,110	6.52	1	0	1	New
	National Awami Party (Bhashani)	1,002,771	5.32	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya League	62,354	0.33	1	0	1	+1
	Bangla Jatiya League	53,097	0.28	0	0	0	New
	Communist Party of Bangladesh	47,211	0.25	0	0	0	New
	Sramik Krishak Samajbadi Dal	38,421	0.20	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Communist Party (Leninist)	18,619	0.10	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Shramik Federation	17,271	0.09	0	0	0	New
	Banglar Communist Party	11,911	0.06	0	0	0	New
	Bangla Chattra Union	7,564	0.04	0	0	0	New
	Bangladesh Jatiya Congress	3,761	0.02	0	0	0	New
	Jatiya Ganatantrik Dal	1,818	0.01	0	0	0	New
	Independents	989,884	5.25	5	0	5	–2
Total		18,851,808	100.00	300	15	315	+5
Valid votes		18,851,808	97.53
Invalid/blank votes		477,875	2.47
Total votes		19,329,683	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		35,205,642	54.91
Source: Nohlen et al., Government of Bangladesh, Kumar Panday

All 300 members of the parliament were men, and 15 additional seats were reserved for women. These women members were not directly elected; instead, they were chosen by the parliament and affiliated with the Awami League. Of the parliament members, 32% were lawyers, 20% were in business, 13% were agriculturalists, 12% were social workers and trade unionists, 9% were doctors, 6% were teachers, 6% were journalists, 1% were engineers, and 1% were students.^[6]

The election result demoralized the opposition parties. Afterward, the National Awami Party (Muzaffar) and the Communist Party of Bangladesh went back to seek an alliance with the Awami League and formed a unified front called Gono Oikya Jote. The National Awami Party (Bhashani) tried and failed to launch a mass movement against the Awami League. However, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) proved to be a strong force against the regime. Various left-wing franctions also continued to oppose the government.^[4]

The popularity of Mujib, which played a crucial role in the Awami League's victory, led to a significant centralization of power within his inner circle, consisting of close relatives and companions. The national legislature had minimal involvement in policy formation, as Mujib and his associates managed even routine matters.^[9] The overwhelming victory of the Awami League in the 1973 elections was further overshadowed by the implementation of repressive special powers and activities of the Rakkhi Bahini, a group of government-armed vigilantes with judicial immunity. This group targeted anyone who opposed the Awami League or its affiliated parties.^[7][10] By the end of 1974, there were approximately 30,000 political prisoners, all criticism of the government in the public media was silenced by law, and a state of emergency was declared. Political assassinations became increasingly common, with around 5,000 political murders reported in the year 1974, according to government estimates. Several prominent opposition leaders, including Siraj Sikder (the founder of the Proletarian Party of East Bengal) and Mosharraf Hossain (the founding vice-president of JSD, the main opposition party), were assassinated.^[10][11]

As the political and economic conditions of the country worsened, Mujib's popularity started to erode, and he started to face widespread criticism. In February 1975, Mujib revoked the constitution, assumed dictatorial powers, and banned all political parties except for his newly formed party, BAKSAL (Bangladesh Krishak, Sramik Awami League, lit. "Bangladesh Worker-Peasant's People's League"). Thus, within two years of the first general election, Bangladesh ceased to be a democratic country.^[9][10]

• List of members of the 1st Jatiya Sangsad