The chamber court on Wednesday issued a stay on the High Court’s ruling that had upheld the Bagerhat-4 and Gazipur-5 parliamentary constituencies, pending further hearings. The matter is scheduled to be heard by the full Appellate Bench on 16 November.
The Election Commission (EC) filed the petition in the chamber court on Tuesday, challenging the High Court verdict that maintained four parliamentary seats in Bagerhat.
On 10 November, a High Court bench comprising Justice Shashanka Shekhar Sarker and Justice K M Zahid Sarwar Kajol had declared the EC’s gazette altering Bagerhat’s constituencies illegal.
The court had ordered that all four seats in Bagerhat be preserved while reducing one seat in Gazipur.
Ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election, the EC adjusted boundaries in at least 39 constituencies, increasing one seat in Gazipur and reducing one in Bagerhat.
The move sparked widespread protests, with political parties forming a joint committee to demand that Bagerhat’s four seats be retained. Demonstrations included strikes, blockades, and other forms of agitation, while party representatives also participated in EC hearings.
Initially, on 30 July, the EC proposed reducing Bagerhat’s four seats to three. On 4 September, the commission issued its final gazette, implementing the reduction but only modifying boundaries. Since then, the joint committee has continued protests, arguing that public demands were ignored.
According to the final gazette, Bagerhat-1 comprises Sadar, Chitalmari, and Mollahat; Bagerhat-2 covers Fakirhat, Rampal, and Mongla; and Bagerhat-3 includes Kachua, Morelganj, and Sharankhola.
This marked a change from the historical division since 1969, when Bagerhat had four constituencies, Bagerhat-1 (Chitalmari-Mollahat-Fakirhat), Bagerhat-2 (Bagerhat Sadar-Kachua), Bagerhat-3 (Rampal-Mongla), and Bagerhat-4 (Morelganj-Sharankhola).
