The Election Commission (EC) has announced that the by-election in Bogura-6 and the rescheduled poll in Sherpur-3 will be held on 9 April.
EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed unveiled the election schedule at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka on Tuesday. The polls were previously expected to take place before 14 April.
According to the announced schedule, polling in both constituencies will be held from 7:30am to 4:30pm on 9 April. Nomination papers must be submitted by 2 March, with scrutiny by the returning officer to be completed by 5 March.
Appeals can be filed between 6 and 10 March and will be disposed of by 11 March, while candidate withdrawal ends on 14 March. Election symbols will be allocated on 15 March.
On the issue of referendums, Akhtar Ahmed clarified that a referendum has already been conducted in Bogura-6, while Sherpur-3 does not require one. “Considering the vote differences, it is not necessary to hold a referendum in both seats,” he noted.
During the 12 February general election, voting took place in 299 constituencies.
Bogura-6 seat falls vacant
The Bogura-6 constituency was declared vacant after BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman opted to retain the Dhaka-17 seat in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
Tarique Rahman was elected from both Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17 in the 12 February parliamentary polls. On 16 February, he submitted a declaration to the Commission expressing his intention to represent Dhaka-17, thereby vacating Bogura-6 in accordance with electoral rules that require a candidate elected from multiple constituencies to relinquish all but one.
The EC subsequently declared the Bogura-6 seat vacant, paving the way for a by-election.
Sherpur-3 poll postponed after candidate’s death
The election in Sherpur-3 was suspended following the death of a contesting candidate. Jamaat-e-Islami nominated candidate Nuruzzaman Badal died on 3 February.
The following day, the Commission formally postponed the election in the constituency.
Under Article 17(1) of the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972, if a validly candidate dies after the withdrawal deadline but before polling, the election in that constituency must be cancelled or postponed.
After confirmation of the death, the returning officer issues a public notice suspending the election, after which a fresh schedule is announced. The same legal provision has been applied in rescheduling the Sherpur-3 vote.
In the 12 February national election, the BNP secured 209 of the 297 seats, gaining a single-party majority.
With three additional seats won by its alliance partners, the BNP-led bloc holds 212 seats in the new parliament.
An 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami won 77 seats and has assumed the role of the opposition.
Independent candidates secured seven seats, while Islami Andolan Bangladesh secured one.
