The election commission has modified the boundaries of ten parliamentary districts in preparation for the 12th general election scheduled for next year.
In preparation for the ensuing 12th parliamentary elections, the Election Commission (EC) has released a notification revising the borders of ten constituencies. The constituencies that have been delimited are Pirojpur-1, Pirojpur-2, Comilla-1, Comilla-2, Faridpur-2, Faridpur-4, Gazipur-2, Gazipur-5, Noakhali-1, and Noakhali-2.
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The notice, which was signed by Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam on Thursday, was published as a gazette on the Election Commission’s website on Saturday. While no modifications were made to the draft of the parliamentary seat delimitations, the final decision marked a significant shift in the boundaries.
The following districts experienced significant reform-
Pirojpur 1 & 2
According to the boundaries established for the eleventh parliamentary election, the constituency of Pirojpur-1 included the upazilas of Pirojpur Sadar, Nazirpur, and Nesarabad. Taking into account the 12th parliamentary election, the new boundaries of this constituency are now Pirojpur sadar, Nazirpur, and Indurkani upazilas.
At present, the Pirojpur-2 constituency includes Kawkhali, Bhandaria and Indurkani upazilas, and this parliamentary seat will have Kawkhali, Bhandaria and Indurkani upazilas after changing delimitation.
Cumilla 1 & 2
Cumilla-1 constituency, which currently includes Daudkandi and Meghna upazilas, would expand to include Daudkandi and Titas upazilas following the re-demarcation.
Currently, the Cumilla-2 constituency includes the Homna and TItas upazilas, but after the delimitation change, it will include the Homna and Meghna upazilas.
Faridpur 2 & 4
Krishnapur union of Sadarpur upazila was removed from Faridpur-2 and incorporated to Faridpur-4.
According to the 11th parliamentary election district boundaries, Faridpur-4 consisted of Bhanga and Charbhadrasan, excluding Krishnapur union. This constituency’s new boundaries include the upazilas of Bhanga, Charbhadrasan, and Sadarpur.
Noakhali 1 & 2
One union was moved from the Noakhali-1 to the Noakhali-2 constituency. Noakhali-1’s Bajra union was removed and incorporated to Noakhali-2.
Previously, Noakhali-1 included Sonaimuri and Chatkhil upazila, but not Barogaon, Nateshwar, or Ambarnagor unions. Currently, it consists of the Sonaimuri and Chatkhil upazilas, excluding the Barogaon, Neteshwar, Ambarnagor, and Bajra unions.
Noakhali-2 was reconstituted to include Senbag upazila and Barogaon, Nateshwar, and Ambarnagor unions of Sonaimuri upazila, in addition to Barogaon, Nateshwar, Ambarnagor, and Bajra unions of Sonaimuri upazila.
Gazipur
Ward 39 of Gazipur City Corporation, which is part of the Gazipur 5 constituency, was added to the revised Gazipur 2 constituency.
Other constituencies
After the 11th national election, eight more seats had to be adjusted to account for newly created administrative areas. However, no adjustments were made to the boundaries of these eight seats.
- The newly formed Madaripur-3 constituency comprises both Kalkini and Dasar upazilas, redefining the boundaries of the constituency.
- The Mymensingh City Corporation was added to the extant Mymensingh sadar seat to form the Mymensingh-4 constituency.
- In addition to Dharmapasha, Tahirpur, and Jamalganj, the Sunamganj-1 constituency includes the Madhyanagar upazila.
- After the Sunamganj-3 constituency was established with the addition of the Jagannathpur and Dakshin Surma upazilas, the latter was renamed the Shantiganj upazila.
- Due to the incorporation of a union of sadar upazila and portions of three union parishads into the city corporation, changes were made to the Sylhet-1 constituency established by the Sylhet City Corporation and Sylhet sadar upazila.
Sylhet-1 covers ward 1 to 27, 31 to 39, and Sylhet sadar upazila. This resulted in adjustments to the Sylhet-2 constituency, which now includes wards 28 to 30 and 40 to 42 of the city corporation, as well as the Dakshinsurma, Fenchuganj, and Balasinghpur upazilas.
- Due to the division of sadar upazila, a new upazila named Eidgaon was added to Cox’s Bazar-3 seat, which was established with Cox’s Bazar sadar and Ramu upazilas.
In February, prior to the 12th parliamentary elections, the Election Commission published a draft of the boundaries for 300 constituencies. However, the existing seat boundaries were maintained in the draft. Due to the establishment of new administrative areas (upazilas, wards), it was proposed to modify only six seats in parliament. However, it did not alter the current constituency boundaries. The only change to the draft was the insertion of the new administrative areas’ names.
In conclusion, the EC has undertaken a significant task of redefining the boundaries of ten constituencies in preparation for the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections. These modifications aim to accommodate changes in administrative areas and ensure fair representation for voters. While only a few seats were adjusted, the revision marks an important step in maintaining an effective electoral system. The Election Commission’s efforts reflect their commitment to upholding the democratic process in the country.
