Vacant Seats: EC to set by-polls dates soon

The schedule for by-elections to parliamentary seats that are now vacant following the resignation of BNP MPs will be announced soon, Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said yesterday.

Although there is a 90-day window to hold the by-polls, the EC will try to hold the election as soon as possible as only a year remains before the 11th parliament's tenure.

"We've received the gazette announcing the seats left by BNP MPs as vacant. We'll soon arrange a meeting where we'll decide when to hold the by-polls," said Alamgir.

On Sunday, seven BNP MPs -- five in person and two via email -- submitted their resignation to Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at the parliament as part of their party's anti-government movement.

The five MPs who resigned in person are Md Zahidur Rahman of Thakurgaon-3, Md Mosharof Hosen of Bogura-4, Gulam Mohammad Siraj of Bogura-6, Md Aminul Islam of Chapainawabganj-2, and Rumeen Farhana, from women's reserved seats.

The two others are Md Harunur Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3, who is now in Australia, and Abdus Sattar Buiyan, the ailing MP of Brahmanbaria-2.

The speaker accepted the resignation of six MPs and said Harunur Rashid would have to sign the resignation letter and send it again as the JS secretariat could not be sure whether the signature in his letter was by him.

The Parliament Secretariat then issued gazette notifications announcing the seats to be vacant.