Protests erupt in 3 districts over re-demarcation of constituencies
Demonstrators claimed that the Election Commission’s new delimitation, published in a gazette on Thursday (4 September) ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, disregarded local needs and public opinion.
Highlights
- Protests in Munshiganj, Brahmanbaria, Pabna over new boundaries
- Highways blocked, traffic disrupted
- Demand to reinstate Homna–Meghna seat
- Brahmanbaria locals oppose union transfer
- Pabna BNP rejects Bera–Santhia split
- EC accused of ignoring public opinion
Protests broke out in Munshiganj, Brahmanbaria, and Pabna today (7 September), as residents and political activists blocked major highways demanding the reinstatement of parliamentary constituencies under previous boundaries.
Demonstrators claimed that the Election Commission's new delimitation, published in a gazette on Thursday (4 September) ahead of the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, disregarded local needs and public opinion.
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In Gajaria upazila of Munshiganj, protesters under the banner of the Homna–Meghna Constituency Protection Committee blockaded the Dhaka–Chattogram highway for about an hour.
The demonstration began at 11am with a human chain at Bhaterchar Natun Road.
Protesters later moved onto the highway, chanting, "We have only one demand: we want the Homna–Meghna constituency."
The blockade caused long tailbacks, disrupting traffic and causing suffering for passengers.
Officials, including Gajaria Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashraful Alam, persuaded the demonstrators to withdraw.
Protesters argued that the decision was made without considering local sentiment and demanded that the Homna–Meghna constituency be reinstated, as the two upazilas are geographically close and share the same transport system.
BNP Cumilla divisional organising secretary Selim Bhuiyan expressed solidarity with the protest.
According to the final delimitation, Cumilla-1 will consist of Daudkandi and Meghna, while Cumilla-2 will consist of Homna and Titas. Previously, Cumilla-2 comprised Homna and Meghna.
In Brahmanbaria, locals and political activists blocked the Dhaka–Sylhet highway in Bijoynagar upazila, protesting the transfer of two unions from Brahmanbaria-3 to Brahmanbaria-2.
The protest, held under the banner of the "Sorbo Doliyo Songram Parishad", began at around 11am at the Chandura Bus Stand area.
The blockade brought traffic to a standstill, creating a tailback of at least 10 kilometres.
Protesters demanded that Chandura and Budhanti unions be reinstated under Brahmanbaria-3.
Later, around 5pm, they lifted the blockade after 6.5 hours following an assurance from the administration to address their demands.
The traffic has returned to normal now.
Imam Hossain, president of the organisation, said the change was part of a conspiracy against Bijoynagar and would harm the administrative and economic interests of the affected unions.
According to the EC's gazette, two unions from Brahmanbaria-3 (Sadar and Bijoynagar) were transferred to Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail and Ashuganj).
In Pabna's Bera upazila, BNP and its affiliated organisations blocked the Dhaka–Pabna highway for nearly three hours, demanding that the Pabna-1 constituency be reinstated in its previous form, reports Samakal.
The blockade, staged at the C&B intersection from 10am, included burning tyres and chanting slogans such as, "Not a boundary change, we want people's rights," and "We do not accept the illegal gazette of the Election Commission."
Protesters said the revised boundary unfairly divided the constituency, detaching Bera from Santhia despite strong social and economic ties between the two areas.
Local BNP leaders, including Fazlur Rahman Fakir and Sajedul Islam Bipu, led the protest.
Police later intervened to normalise the situation, with additional forces deployed to prevent further unrest.
Under the new delimitation, Pabna-1 now includes only Santhia upazila, while all of Bera upazila is attached to Pabna-2. Previously, Pabna-1 included Santhia and part of Bera.
In Bagerhat, the Sorbodolio Sommilito Committee, backed by BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, announced a three-day hartal from today to protest the reduction of parliamentary constituencies from four to three.
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker said no party can now challenge the final gazette notification in court. He told reporters at the EC building that the overall voting environment in the country is "100% favourable" for the upcoming national election.
