The High Court has issued a rule asking why the recent Election Commission gazette excluding Algi and Hamirdi unions from the Faridpur-4 constituency and annexing them to Faridpur-2 should not be declared illegal.
The rule was issued on Tuesday following a primary hearing on a writ petition filed by two aspiring candidates for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election. The bench comprised Justice Md Mojibur Rahman Miah and Justice Biswajit Debnath.
Advocate Humayun Kabir Pallab represented the petitioners in court.
He stated that the court has asked why Article 125(a) of the Constitution should not be declared unconstitutional, why Section 7 of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) should not be struck down as conflicting with the Constitution, and why the gazette should not be declared void. The respondents have been asked to submit their replies within 10 days.
Earlier, the writ petition was filed on behalf of Bhanga residents by five individuals, including BNP nomination aspirant Md. Shahidul Islam Babul for Faridpur-4 and Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahbubur Rahman Dulal.
On September 4, the Election Commission published the final list of revised boundaries for the country’s 300 parliamentary constituencies, officially moving Algi and Hamirdi unions from Faridpur-4 (which includes Bhanga, Sadarpur, and Charbhadrasan) to Faridpur-2 (comprising Nagarkanda and Saltha).
The High Court’s rule comes amid ongoing and often violent protests in Bhanga over the redistricting. On Sunday, road and railway blockades severely disrupted traffic, including train operations. On Monday, protesters set fire to the Upazila Parishad office and vandalized police vehicles.
However, on Tuesday the ongoing blockade in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur over parliamentary seat demarcation has been temporarily suspended until Saturday (September 20), following assurances from the district administration.
The announcement was made by the ‘Sarbadaliya Oikya Parishad, which also issued a four-day ultimatum, warning of tougher programmes would be launched next Sunday if their demands are not met.
