Reduce constituency numbers of Dhaka

Some civil society personalities and non-government organisation representatives yesterday proposed to reduce the capital's parliamentary constituency numbers to protect the interests of rural areas.
Redrawing the parliamentary constituencies on population basis would cause the capital's constituency numbers to rise, depriving the rural areas, they said.
Holding talks with Bangladesh Election Commission in the conference room of National Economic Council of the planning ministry, the discussants asked the EC to consult political parties on their opinion on redrawing the boundaries.
Some cited a proposal by the past ATM Shamsul Huda-led EC to reduce the capital's constituencies from 15 to 10 to prevent rural areas from losing parliamentary seats.
Before the last delimitation of boundaries in 2008, the capital's parliamentary constituency numbers was eight. It stood at 15 in 2008 and the EC had to reduce the seats in rural areas to meet the capital's demand.
Addressing the discussion, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said redrawing the constituencies on population basis may cause the capital's constituency numbers to rise to 25.
Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam demanded that the EC holds talks to know the opinions at grassroots level.
Barrister Rafiqul Haque, former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Prof Maniruzzaman Mia and former adviser to a caretaker government Rasheda K Chowdhury also participated in the talks.