Constituency delimitation to focus geography, conditions, census: EC

Senior Staff Reporter Published: 30 January 2025, 04:56 PM | Updated: 30 January 2025, 05:13 PM
Constituency delimitation to focus geography, conditions, census: EC

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah announced that the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies will now prioritise geographical area, local conditions, and the latest census data, rather than solely relying on population figures. 

This update was shared with reporters following the third meeting of the Election Commission held on Thursday (January 30), chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin.

During the briefing, Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah elaborated on the commission's review of the Delimitation of Constituencies Act-2021. He highlighted two primary issues in the current legislation: an overemphasis on population for determining constituency boundaries and the need for more comprehensive criteria. 

"We propose that delimitation should consider geographical area, local conditions, location, and the most recent census reports," he said. "This approach ensures a more representative distribution of seats."

Highlighting urban migration trends, he added, "People are increasingly moving to cities. If we base our decisions purely on population or census data, urban areas will gain more seats at the expense of rural regions, leading to an unbalanced representation." The commission believes this shift could undermine fair electoral representation.

The Election Commissioner also addressed a technical issue within the Delimitation of Constituencies Act-2021. "There is a typing error in one subsection of this act," he explained. "Subsection 2 was mistakenly labelled as Subsection 3, creating confusion and limiting the commission’s ability to act effectively. We will propose a correction to resolve this discrepancy."

Additionally, he reported on ongoing boundary-related applications: "We have received 248 applications concerning 41 parliamentary constituencies, mostly requesting the restoration of previous boundaries. These are under review, and our actions will align with the government's decision after considering the Reform Commission's recommendations."

Historically, significant changes were made during the ninth national election by the Dr ATM Shamsul Huda Commission, which reshuffled 130 out of 300 parliamentary seats nationwide. Subsequent commissions led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed, KM Nurul Huda, and Kazi Habibul Awal maintained these adjustments. However, since the formation of the new commission, various political parties, including BNP, have called for reverting to pre-2008 boundaries.