1970 Pakistani general election in East Pakistan

Last updated
1970 Pakistani general election in East Pakistan
Flag of Pakistan.svg
  1946 7 December 1970 1973  

169 seats from East Pakistan in the National Assembly
Registered29,479,386
Turnout57.68%
 First partySecond party
  Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1950.jpg Nurul Amin.jpg
Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Nurul Amin
Party Awami League PDP
Leader's seat Dacca-VIII Mymensingh-VIII
Seats won1671
Popular vote12,338,921483,571
Percentage74.9%2.9%

Pakistan 1970.png
Map of Pakistan showing National Assembly Constituencies and winning partes

General Elections were held in East Pakistan province on Monday 7 December 1970 to elect 169 Members of 5th National Assembly of Pakistan. Out of 169 National Assembly seats 162 were General seats and 7 was reserved for woman. Awami League won 167 out of 169 seats belonging to East Pakistan in the National Assembly of Pakistan, as well as a landslide in the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Results

The total number of voters were 29,479,386. The number of casting votes was 17,005,163 (57.68%), the valid casting votes was 16,454,278. [4]

PartyVotes%Seats
Awami League 12,338,92174.9160
Jamaat-e-Islami 991,9086.00
Pakistan Democratic Party 483,5712.91
Pakistan Muslim League (Convention)464,1852.80
National Awami Party (Wali) 310,9861.80
Pakistan Muslim League (Kou)274,4531.60
Pakistan Muslim League (Kayum)175,8221.00
Independent561,0833.41

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Pakistan</span> Former provincial wing of Pakistan (1955–1971)

East Pakistan was the eastern polity, established in 1955 under the One Unit Policy, renaming and restructuring the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, with a coastline on the Bay of Bengal. East Pakistanis were popularly known as "Pakistani Bengalis"; to distinguish this region from India's state West Bengal, East Pakistan was known as "Pakistani Bengal". In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" in Bengali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Bangladesh</span> Political system of Bangladesh

Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span>

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib, also widely known as Bangabandhu, was the founder of Bangladesh. He first served as the titular president of the Provisional Government of Bangladesh between April 1971 and January 1972. He then served as Prime Minister of Bangladesh from the Awami League between January 1972 and January 1975. He finally served as President again during BAKSAL from January 1975 till his assassination in August 1975. In 2011, the 15th constitutional amendment in Bangladesh referred to Sheikh Mujib as the Father of the Nation who declared independence; these references were enshrined in the fifth, sixth, and seventh schedules of the constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awami League</span> Centre-left political party in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Awami League, often simply called the Awami League or AL, is a centrist to centre-left political party in Bangladesh and one of the major political parties in Bangladesh, being the ruling party of Bangladesh since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communist Party of India (Marxist)</span> Political party in India

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the national parties of India. The party emerged from a split in the Communist Party of India (CPI) on 7 November 1964. As of 2022, CPI(M) is a part of ruling alliances in three states — the Left Democratic Front in Kerala, Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, and the Secular Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu. CPIM has representation in the legislative assemblies of 8 states.The Party is currently the main opposition in Tripura along with Congress (SDF Alliance).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Liberation War</span> 1971 armed conflict that led to the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan

The Bangladesh Liberation War was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which resulted in the independence of Bangladesh. The war began when the Pakistani military junta based in West Pakistan—under the orders of Yahya Khan—launched Operation Searchlight against the people of East Pakistan on the night of 25 March 1971, initiating the Bangladesh genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament of Pakistan</span> National legislature of Pakistan

The Parliament of Pakistan is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a bicameral federal legislature that consists of the Senate as the upper house and the National Assembly as the lower house. According to the Constitution of Pakistan, the President of Pakistan is also a component of the Parliament. The National Assembly is elected for a five-year term on the basis of adult franchise and one-man one-vote. The tenure of a Member of the National Assembly is for the duration of the house, or sooner, in case the Member dies or resigns. The tenure of the National Assembly also comes to an end if dissolved on the advice of the Prime Minister or by the president in his discretion under the Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tajuddin Ahmad</span> Bangladeshi politician and First Prime Minister of Bangladesh (1925-1975)

Tajuddin Ahmad was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He led the Provisional Government of Bangladesh as its prime minister during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 and is regarded as one of the most instrumental figures in the birth of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Bangladesh</span> Political elections for public offices in Bangladesh

Bangladesh elects on national level a legislature with one house or chamber. The unicameral Jatiyo Sangshad, meaning national parliament, has 350 members of which 300 members are directly elected through a national election for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies while 50 memberships are reserved for the women who are selected by the ruling party or coalition. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. The president who is the head of the state is elected by the National Parliament. The president of Bangladesh is a ceremonial post and does not exercise any control over the running of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Pakistan</span> Political elections for public offices in Pakistan

Since its establishment in 1947, Pakistan has had an asymmetric federal government and is a federal parliamentary democratic republic. At the national level, the people of Pakistan elect a bicameral legislature, the Parliament of Pakistan. The parliament consists of a lower house called the National Assembly, which is elected directly, and an upper house called the Senate, whose members are chosen by elected provincial legislators. The head of government, the Prime Minister, is elected by the majority members of the National Assembly and the head of state, the President, is elected by the Electoral College, which consists of both houses of Parliament together with the four provincial assemblies. In addition to the national parliament and the provincial assemblies, Pakistan also has more than five thousand elected local governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Bengal</span> Geographical eastern wing of the Dominion of Pakistan (1947–1955)

East Bengal was a non-contiguous province of the Dominion of Pakistan. Geographically part of the Bengal region, East Bengal existed from 1947 until 1955, when it was renamed East Pakistan. Today, the area is an independent country, Bangladesh. With its coastline on the Bay of Bengal, it bordered India and Myanmar. It was located close to, but did not share a border with, Nepal, Tibet, the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Kingdom of Sikkim. Its capital was Dacca, now known as Dhaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Pakistan Provincial Assembly</span> Provincial Assembly of Pakistan

The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, known as the East Bengal Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1955, was the provincial legislature of East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. It was known as the East Bengal Assembly from 1947 to 1955 when the provincial name was changed. The legislature was a successor to the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly, which were divided between East Bengal and West Bengal during the partition of Bengal in 1947. It was the largest provincial legislature in Pakistan. Elections were held only twice in 1954 and 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Pakistani general election</span>

General elections were held in Pakistan on 7 December 1970 to elect members of the National Assembly. They were the first general elections since the independence of Pakistan and ultimately the only ones held prior to the independence of Bangladesh. Voting took place in 300 general constituencies, of which 162 were in East Pakistan and 138 in West Pakistan. A further thirteen seats were reserved for women, who were to be elected by members of the National Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of East Pakistan</span> History of Bangladesh (1947-1971)

The history of East Bengal and East Pakistan from 1947 to 1971 covers the period of Bangladesh's history between its independence as a part of Pakistan from British colonial rule in 1947 to its independence from Pakistan in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Pakistani general election</span>

General elections were held in Pakistan on 7 March 1977 to elect 200 members of the National Assembly. They were the second general elections held in Pakistan and the first to be held after the Bangladesh Liberation War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7 March Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> 1971 speech by the Founding Father of Bangladesh

The 7 March Speech of Bangabandhu was a public speech given by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh on 7 March 1971 at the Ramna Race Course in Dhaka to a gathering of over two million (2,000,000) people. It was delivered during a period of escalating tensions between East Pakistan and the powerful political and military establishment of West Pakistan. In the speech, Bangabandhu informally declared the independence of Bangladesh, proclaiming: "The struggle this time, is a struggle for our liberty. The struggle this time, is a struggle for our independence." He announced a civil disobedience movement in the province, calling for "every house to turn into a fortress".

The Legal Framework Order, 1970 (LFO) was a decree issued by then-President of Pakistan Gen. Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan that laid down the political principles and laws governing the 1970 general election, which was the first direct election in the history of Pakistan. The LFO also dissolved the "One Unit" scheme of West Pakistan, re-establishing the four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and the Northwest Frontier Province. Pakistan would be a democratic country and the complete name of the country would be the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Delhi Legislative Assembly election</span> First Delhi legislative assembly elections

The first Delhi Legislative Assembly election to the Delhi Legislative Assembly was held on 27 March 1952. Forty-eight seats were up for election. Six of the constituencies elected two assembly members, the remaining 36 constituencies elected a single member.

Legislative elections were held in East Bengal between 8 and 12 March 1954, the first since Pakistan became an independent country in 1947. The opposition United Front led by the Awami League and Krishak Sramik Party won a landslide victory with 223 of the 309 seats. The Muslim League Chief Minister of East Pakistan Nurul Amin was defeated in his own constituency by Khaleque Nawaz Khan by over 7,000 votes, with all the Muslim League ministers losing their seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh</span> Provisional legislature of Bangladesh from 1971–3

The Constituent Assembly of Bangladesh was the constituent assembly of Bangladesh. It was the country's provisional parliament between 1971 and 1973. In 1972, it drafted and adopted the Constitution of Bangladesh. The assembly was dominated by the Awami League, with a minority being independent lawmakers.

References

  1. Kaushik & Patnayak 1995, p. 295.
  2. Harun-or- Rashid (2012). "Rahman, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  3. Meghna Guhathakurta and Willem van Schendel (2003). The Bangladesh Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Duke University Press. p. 264. ISBN   978-0822353188.
  4. Bangladesher Nirbachan 1970-2001 by A S M Samsul Arefin, Bangladesh Research and Publications, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2003, page-23

Works cited