EC approves redrawing of boundaries in 39 parliamentary constituencies

Ahead of the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, the Election Commission (EC) has approved a draft proposal to redraw the boundaries of several parliamentary constituencies. A total of 42 constituencies have been proposed for changes, among which 39 will undergo minor boundary adjustments, as approved by the EC.

The announcement came on Wednesday (July 30) during a press briefing held at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka. Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar shared the information, while EC Senior Secretary Md. Akhtar Hossain was also present.

Anwarul Islam Sarkar stated that, following the recommendations of a technical committee, constituencies in districts with the highest number of voters will gain one additional seat, while those with the lowest number will lose one. Based on this principle, Gazipur will gain one seat, and Bagerhat will lose one to maintain proportional voter distribution.

He said, “The average number of voters across the 64 districts has been calculated at 420,500. With one seat added in Gazipur and one removed from Bagerhat, this average is maintained. Therefore, only these two districts will see a change in their total number of seats, while the existing boundaries in the remaining 250 constituencies will remain unchanged, as no objections were raised.”

The commissioner further listed the 39 constituencies proposed for boundary adjustment: Panchagarh-1 & 2, Rangpur-3, Sirajganj-1 & 2, Satkhira-3 & 4, Shariatpur-2 & 3, Dhaka-2, 3, 7, 10, 14 & 19, Gazipur-1, 2, 3, 5 & 6, Narayanganj-3, 4 & 5, Sylhet-1 & 3, Brahmanbaria-2 & 3, Cumilla-1, 2, 10 & 11, Noakhali-1, 2, 4 & 5, Chattogram-7 & 8, and Bagerhat-2 & 3.

“These 39 to 42 constituencies have been adjusted to varying degrees. However, no major constituency division has been undertaken,” he added.

Citing Articles 119 and 124 of the Constitution, which vest the power of delimiting constituency boundaries in the EC, Anwarul Islam mentioned that a specialized 9-member technical committee—comprising geographers, urban planners, statisticians, and other experts—was formed on July 16 based on a decision by the National Consensus Commission. The committee reviewed the boundaries of all 300 parliamentary constituencies in detail and submitted its report.

According to the EC, the committee's boundary recommendations were based on legal guidelines, administrative structure, geographical integrity, and census data.

The EC has announced that the draft gazette will be published later today. Citizens and stakeholders can submit objections or suggestions regarding the proposed changes until August 10. After conducting constituency-wise hearings, the EC will finalize the changes. If the number of objections remains low, the final gazette will be issued promptly.