HC declares EC gazette reducing Bagerhat constituencies illegal, directs to reinstate all four
The two writ petitions had been filed by the Bagerhat Press Club, the Bagerhat District Bar Association, Bagerhat district units of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, as well as the district's Truck Owners Association.
The High Court has declared the Election Commission's (EC) gazette that reduced the number of parliamentary constituencies in Bagerhat from four to three as illegal. The court also directed the authorities to reinstate all four constituencies in the district.
The verdict was delivered today (10 November) by a High Court bench comprising Justice Shashanka Shekhar Sarkar and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Kajol, after disposing of two separate writ petitions filed in this regard, according to court sources.
Earlier, on 16 September, the High Court issued a rule asking why the authorities should not be directed to retain Bagerhat's four constituencies as before, and why the EC's gazette reducing them to three should not be declared illegal. The Election Commission and other respondents were asked to reply within ten days.
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Senior lawyer Barrister Sheikh Muhammad Zakir Hossain represented the petitioners in court, while Assistant Attorney General Md Ikramul Kabir appeared for the state.
The two writ petitions had been filed by the Bagerhat Press Club, the Bagerhat District Bar Association, Bagerhat district units of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, as well as the District Truck Owners Association.
The respondents included the Government of Bangladesh, the chief election commissioner, and the EC secretary.
Ahead of the upcoming 13th National Election, the Election Commission had initially proposed on 30 July to reduce Bagerhat's constituencies from four to three. The decision sparked widespread protests among local residents, who demanded that the existing four constituencies be retained.
Representatives from various political parties also voiced their opposition during the EC's public hearing.
Despite the objections, the EC published a final gazette on 4 September, keeping the number of constituencies at three with minor boundary adjustments — a move that local leaders from the all-party coordination committee described as "disregarding the people's demand."
According to the EC's final gazette, Bagerhat-1 comprised Bagerhat Sadar, Chitalmari, and Mollahat; Bagerhat-2 included Fakirhat, Rampal, and Mongla; while Bagerhat-3 consisted of Kachua, Morelganj, and Sharankhola.
Historically, Bagerhat has had four constituencies since 1969; Bagerhat-1: Chitalmari, Mollahat, and Fakirhat, Bagerhat-2: Bagerhat Sadar and Kachua, Bagerhat-3: Rampal and Mongla, Bagerhat-4: Morelganj and Sharankhola.
