Election Commissioner Md. Anwarul Islam Sarkar has said that the final list of parliamentary constituency boundaries, recently published by the Election Commission (EC), cannot be legally challenged in any court or authority as per the law.
He also cautioned that protests and demonstrations over the matter would yield “no results.”
Speaking to reporters at the EC headquarters in Agargaon on Sunday, Anwarul Islam noted that the commission had published the final delimitation for 300 constituencies last Thursday, bringing changes to around 52 seats.
Under the revised boundaries, Gazipur gained an additional constituency while Bagerhat lost one. The upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election will be held under this new delimitation.
While the changes sparked celebration in Gazipur, demonstrations have erupted in other areas. Addressing the concerns, the election commissioner said, “The delimitation process has been completed neutrally, taking into account administrative integrity, geographical considerations, and the latest census data.”
He explained that discrepancies in the census report were addressed by cross-checking with updated voter statistics as of June 16 across all 64 districts.
“We examined the average and total voter numbers to identify where constituencies were overpopulated or underpopulated, and adjusted accordingly. After public hearings on objections to the draft, the boundaries were finalized,” he added.
Anwarul emphasized that voter numbers were prioritized in some cases to ensure balance. “Gazipur had the highest number of voters, while Bagerhat had fewer. With the average at 420,000 voters per constituency, the adjustment was justified,” he explained.
Rejecting criticism, he said, “We are not embarrassed. We tried our best to make the delimitation 100 percent error-free.”
On whether protests in some regions could change the outcome, he responded, “According to the law, there is no benefit in such actions.”
Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has already announced that the 13th general election will be held in the first half of February. The EC has been instructed to prepare accordingly.
While some concerns have been raised about possible pre-election violence—especially in light of recent clashes at universities and mob attacks at shrines—Anwarul reassured that, “So far, the election environment across the country remains fully favorable.”
He added, “There is no uncertainty. The commission has not received any reports of adverse conditions regarding the election.”
On party registration, he said most of the evaluation reports have already been submitted to the commission, and final decisions could be made within a week. Parties will still have the chance to lodge objections at the final stage, with the process expected to be completed within this month.
Addressing confusion over constitutional provisions and electoral laws, the commissioner noted that proposed amendments to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) will be finalized only after vetting by the law ministry. “If there are conflicts with other laws, necessary adjustments will be made,” he assured.
