Mirza Abbas has expressed gratitude to voters after winning the Dhaka-8 constituency in the 13th National Parliament election as a candidate of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, contesting under the “Dhaner Sheesh 🌾” symbol. He said that voters stood in long lines at polling stations and cast their votes in his favor, and he extended his sincere thanks and greetings to all of them. He made these remarks in a video message published on his Facebook page on Saturday afternoon. Speaking about the most worrying moment on election day, he said he became concerned when he heard that ballots of his side were being canceled at some polling centers. He mentioned that at that time he felt as though God was testing his patience. However, he added that in the end it proved that patience brings good results, even though the experience was very difficult. Referring to the nature of electoral competition, he said that elections should be a matter of joy and festivity, not a battlefield. But some people, he claimed, had turned it into a battlefield, which was undesirable. According to him, the electoral environment had been made confrontational from the very beginning simply to draw attention to certain individuals. Speaking about the nationwide interest in the Dhaka-8 result, he said the public did not expect the kind of abusive language that had been used openly, and that was one of the reasons many people were eagerly waiting for the outcome. Abbas also said that he did not adopt any particular strategy during the campaign. In his view, his opponent had tried to highlight himself by creating a negative narrative about him, which he described as an unfair tactic. He said it might have been the first election for his opponent, but he himself had contested many elections in his long political career against strong candidates. Even then, he noted, this election turned out to be somewhat different. He emphasized that patience and restraint were his main strategies throughout the electoral process. He credited the participation and support of voters as the primary reason for his victory. According to him, the trust and affection shown by the people would inspire him to work more responsibly in the future. He also promised to work for the development of the constituency and to meet the expectations of the residents after the election. At the same time, he said all political sides should show tolerance and mutual respect to maintain a democratic environment. He warned that unnecessary tension or personal attacks in the name of elections are harmful to democracy. Finally, he once again expressed gratitude to the voters, saying that it was their support that ensured his victory, and that honoring their trust and expectations would be his foremost responsibility.