EC proposes adding new seat in Gazipur, reducing one in Bagerhat

The Election Commission’s technical committee has recommended adding a new parliamentary seat in Gazipur while reducing one seat in Bagerhat, citing population and voter distribution as the basis for the adjustment.

Maintaining an average of 420,000 people per seat, the committee proposed this change to balance representation more fairly across constituencies.

Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar disclosed these details during a press briefing at the Election Commission office in Agargaon on Wednesday.

“The committee suggests increasing seats where voter numbers are highest and decreasing seats where voter numbers are lowest,” he said.

Sarkar also mentioned that the process of redrawing constituency boundaries is nearing completion, with the official gazette set to be published soon. The Election Commission has already approved the gazette, which is expected to be released by tomorrow.

The commission will accept public objections and demands regarding the new boundaries until August 10. After hearing these, a final decision on seat delimitation will be made.

In total, boundary changes for 42 parliamentary seats—including those in Panchagarh, Sirajganj, Dhaka, Gazipur, and Sylhet—have been proposed and are under review.

“The technical committee, formed on July 16 with nine members, has graded districts based on voter numbers,” Sarkar explained. “Smaller districts with one to three seats remain unchanged to preserve their integrity. Additionally, about 250 constituencies with no boundary objections will keep their existing boundaries.”

Under Articles 119 to 124 of the Constitution, the Election Commission is responsible for parliamentary boundary delimitation. The final proposals incorporate expert opinions, consensus within the commission, and data from the 2022 population census.

Sarkar emphasized that the commission carefully considered factors such as population size, voter distribution, geography, and administrative boundaries in finalizing the recommendations.