On Tuesday, demonstrators lay siege to the electoral office in the main town of Bagerhat district, demanding the restoration of four parliamentary constituencies.
A coalition known as the “All-party United Committee” organised a march at approximately 9:30am, which culminated in the electoral office being blockaded, UNB reports.
This action prevented election officials from entering the building.
Concurrently, two separate writ petitions were submitted to the High Court, each seeking the return of the four electoral districts.
One petition was filed by Barrister Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, representing the Bagerhat Press Club and the District Bar Association, and a second was submitted by Advocate Mohammad Akhtar Rasul on behalf of Mujibur Rahman Shamim, the former chairman of Chitalmari Upazila.
The group vowed to continue their protests until their demand is met.
MA Salam, a former Bagerhat BNP president and co-convener of the committee, stated, “Considering the interest of the Hindu community during Durga Puja and the interests of the business community, we have withdrawn the strike programme.”
He further announced plans to resume the blockade of the election office from 9am to 1pm the following day, Wednesday.
Sheikh Mohammad Yunus, who serves as the secretary for the district chapter of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and as the member secretary of the coordination committee, expressed confidence that the court will ensure justice.
This follows the Election Commission’s decision on September 4 to decrease the number of seats in Bagerhat from four to three, despite opposition from the local community.
The finalised gazette notification outlined the new constituencies as Bagerhat-1 (Bagerhat Sadar-Chitalmari-Mollahat), Bagerhat-2 (Fakirhat-Rampal-Mongla), and Bagerhat-3 (Kachua-Morrelganj-Sarankhola).
Previously, Bagerhat-1 included Chitalmari-Mollahat-Fakirhat, Bagerhat-2 Bagerhat Sadar-Kachua, Bagerhat-3 Rampal-Mongla, and Bagerhat-4 Morrelganj-Sarankhola.
