The Election Commission on Monday faced strong objections from Bagerhat representatives who demanded that the district’s four parliamentary constituencies be retained in full.
During the second day of hearings on constituency boundary disputes at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, delegates from Bagerhat said the draft proposal to cut one constituency was unlawful and against public interest.
Advocate Wahiduzzaman Dipu, representing Bagerhat-3, told reporters after the hearing that since independence the district has had four constituencies. “Suddenly the Election Commission says there will no longer be four seats. The people of Bagerhat will not accept this. It is unreasonable, unlawful, impractical and contrary to public interest,” he said, urging the commission to withdraw the draft and maintain Bagerhat-1, 2, 3 and 4.
Barrister Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain, also from Bagerhat-3, said the interim government’s commission was tasked with restoring people’s power but instead deprived residents of their right by removing a seat. He argued that such a move breached the spirit of Articles 7 and 27 of the Constitution and risked pushing citizens towards legal and street protests. “If the commission corrects this, we will say they have not failed their constitutional duty. Otherwise, they will be undermining the February election,” he said.
National Consensus Party joint chief organiser of Bagerhat-3, Molla Rahmat Ullah, alleged that the commission was favouring one political party. He complained that his group was not allowed to fully present their case at either of the hearings. “The decision based on voter numbers is not logical and appears biased,” he said.
The commission is holding hearings for a second consecutive day to address objections over constituency boundary adjustments ahead of the next parliamentary election.