Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader has described the just concluded by-elections to six constituencies as” free and fair” and “a win for the democracy in Bangladesh.” Addressing a party meeting in Dhaka’s Jatrabari, he said who won and who lost in the by-polls was not the main issue. "It was important whether the by-elections were held in a free and fair manner or not," he added. His portrayal of the by-polls tells us what kind of general election we should be expecting.  There’s no surprise in the results, except one, as the ruling alliance had it all settled in terms of sharing those six seats left vacant by the BNP as part of their anti-government movement. The lone loser is from the Workers Party, an important ally of the Awami League who lost to the nominee of Jatiya Party, another partner of the 2018 seat-sharing coalition. Workers Party nominee Yasin Ali’s loss might be the result of not getting enough administrative favour as a consequence of the party...