EC hearing on draft boundaries of constituencies continues for 2nd day
Bagerhat representatives oppose reduction of constituencies
The Election Commission (EC) is holding hearings on objections and proposals regarding the draft boundaries of parliamentary constituencies for the second day today (25 August).
The session began at 10am and continued till afternoon at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin is presiding over the hearing, conducted by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, with the presence of four election commissioners.
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Nasir told participants that the commission had tried to work professionally and impartially.
"The law provides an opportunity for objections and proposals regarding the draft boundaries. We have taken your applications into consideration — now present your logical arguments at the hearing," he added.
According to the EC, hearings from 10am to 12:30pm covered the constituencies of Satkhira-3, 4, Jashore-3, 6, and Bagerhat-1, 2, 3.
From 2:30pm to 5pm, hearings were held on Jhalkathi-1, Barguna-1, 2, Pirojpur-1, 2, 3, Chattogram-3, 5, 8, 19, Khagrachhari, Rangamati, and Bandarban.
Bagerhat representatives oppose reduction of constituencies
During today's hearing, representatives from Bagerhat have strongly opposed the Election Commission's proposal to reduce the district's parliamentary constituencies from four to three to ensure voter equity.
They argued that the decision is "contrary to public interest".
Historically, Bagerhat has had four seats: Bagerhat-1 (Mollahat, Fakirhat, and Chitalmari), Bagerhat-2 (Sadar and Kachua), Bagerhat-3 (Rampal and Mongla), and Bagerhat-4 (Morrelganj and Sharankhola).
The EC's new proposal keeps Bagerhat-1 unchanged but merges Bagerhat Sadar, Kachua, and Rampal to create Bagerhat-2, and combines Mongla, Morrelganj, and Sharankhola into a new Bagerhat-3 constituency.
After the hearing, lawyer Wahiduzzaman Dipu, a representative for current Bagerhat-3, told reporters, "Bagerhat has had four seats since independence. Suddenly, the EC is telling us that there will not be four seats.
"The people of Bagerhat do not accept this. It is illogical, contrary to the law, and not practical. We demand that the four seats in Bagerhat be reinstated as they were," he said.
According to EC officials, the commission will review all objections after the four-day hearing and make a final decision.
Untoward incidents
To prevent any untoward incidents, strict security measures were in place at the Nirbachan Bhaban, with police barricading the front and members of the Coast Guard ensuring law and order inside.
To avoid a repeat of an earlier scuffle during a hearing on Brahmanbaria-2 and 3 constituencies, the EC had set up two separate podiums — one for those in favour of the proposal and another for those in opposition.
On Sunday (24 August), following the first day of hearings, EC Director of Public Relations Md Shariful Alam told reporters that a total of 811 petitions concerning 18 constituencies in the Cumilla region had been heard. Of these, 429 were against and 382 were in favour of the draft boundaries published by the commission.
The EC received 1,760 petitions concerning 83 constituencies by 10 August. These are being settled through the hearings, after which the final boundaries will be published. The process will conclude by 27 August.
On 30 July, the EC published the draft boundaries for all 300 parliamentary constituencies. To ensure balance in voter numbers, the draft proposes reducing Bagerhat's constituencies from four to three, while increasing Gazipur's from five to six.
