Protesters besiege EC office for 3rd consecutive day in Bagerhat

Locals in Bagerhat besieged the district election office for the third consecutive day on Thursday, demanding that all four parliamentary seats in the district be retained. 

Protesters, organised under the banner of the All-Party United Committee, set up tents and took position in front of the election office in the morning.

Though they will not announce any hartal or blockade programmes until the Durga Puja festival, they plan to continue their sit-in until their demands are met.

MA Salam, co-convenor of the committee and president of the Bagerhat district BNP, said the protest and sit-in are ongoing.

“We have submitted a petition to the High Court, which has initially issued an order for a 10-day period. We will continue our movement until our demand is met. If necessary, we are ready to escalate with non-cooperation programmes,” he added.

The High Court issued a rule asking why directives should not be given to retain all four constituencies in Bagerhat, and why the Election Commission’s decision to reduce the seats to three should not be declared illegal. The Election Commission and other relevant authorities have been asked to respond within 10 days, the protesters said.

On July 30, the Election Commission proposed reducing Bagerhat’s four constituencies to three ahead of the 13th parliamentary election. Following the announcement, locals launched protests and later attended EC hearings demanding the restoration of all four seats.

On September 4, the EC finalised the gazette, retaining only three seats, which sparked further outrage. According to the gazette, the new constituencies are: Bagerhat-1 (Sadar-Chitalmari-Mollahat), Bagerhat-2 (Fakirhat-Rampal-Mongla), and Bagerhat-3 (Kachua-Morrelganj-Sarankhola upazila). Previously, elections were held in four constituencies.

Source: UNB