FE REPORT
Some 42.1 per cent of voters of four constituencies in the capital think Tarique Rahman will become the next prime minister in the February election, while 34.9 per cent expect Dr. Shafiqur Rahman to assume the position.
According to a new survey US-based research and advocacy organisation 'Socchar-Torture Watchdog Bangladesh' presented the findings at a press conference in the capital on Saturday.
They conducted an election poll on the four constituencies, including Dhaka-11, 13, 15 and 17 and a total 2241 voters took part in the survey.
Separately, in BNP chairperson Tarique Rahman's constituency, 35 per cent of voters expressed their support for him, and 32 per cent backed Dr. SM Khaliduzzaman. However, about a quarter of voters remain undecided.
The survey was conducted on 515 voters in Dhaka-17 constituency.
Shibbir Ahmed, president of the organization, and assistant professor at North South University, presented the results of the survey.
The survey also found that 10 per cent of voters have not yet made a decision, while 15 per cent declined to express a preference.
In response to the question, "Who can win?", 46.4 per cent of respondents believe Tarique Rahman will emerge victorious, while 27.4 per cent think Dr. SM Khaliduzzaman will win.
The survey showed that 49.2 per cent of the 514 respondents think the Jamaat Ameer will win in the Dhaka-15 constituency, while 32.5 per cent expect the BNP candidate to emerge victorious.
According to the survey, Nahid Islam, candidate of the 11-party electoral alliance and convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), is leading by a narrow margin, while BNP-nominated candidate MA Quayum remains a strong contender.
According to the survey, 45.7 per cent of voters expressed their intention to vote for Nahid Islam, while 40.6 per cent said they would support MA Qayyum.
In addition, 8.3 per cent of voters remain undecided, and 2.8 per cent did not express any preference.
In Dhaka-13, a total of 606 people participated in the survey. Of them, 42.6 per cent said the BNP alliance would win, while 39.6 per cent said the Jamaat alliance would prevail.
The survey also asked participants who had voted for the Awami League in the four constituencies in the previous election. Among them, 78.9 per cent expressed support for both the BNP and Jamaat alliances this time.
Regarding voter intentions, 37.9 per cent of participants indicated they plan to vote for BNP, while 37 per cent expressed interest in voting for Jamaat.
Commenting on the survey at the event, Fahim Mashrur, Editor of Yes for Reform and Managing Director of BDJobs, noted that although several surveys exist, it is difficult to predict results accurately at the constituency level, such as across 300 seats.
He added that numerous local factors could influence outcomes differently inside and outside Dhaka.
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