Dhaka Constituencies
Confusion persists over delimitation
Wasim Bin Habib and Najmul Alam Nobin
The city dwellers’ confusion about constituencies redrawn by the Election Commission (EC) has begun to clear up only now with the electioneering for the ninth parliamentary polls underway.
Talking to people, The Daily Star correspondents have found that voters in the capital are having difficulty finding out their seats.
Some are still not sure who are vying to be their representatives when less than two weeks are left to go before the December 29 election. Most of their areas have either been added to new constituencies or names of the constituencies changed.
While the EC did not do enough to educate the constituents about re-demarcation of the parliamentary seats, the candidates could not start campaigning before three weeks to the polls. It all led to the voters being confused about contestants and the electoral districts they belong, said those involved in electoral activities.
In the last parliamentary election, Dhaka City Corporation was split into eight constituencies. But this time the number has risen to 15 after the re-delimitation.
The constituencies in Dhaka city now range from Dhaka-4 to Dhaka-18. They stretched between Dhaka-4 and Dhaka-11 in the eighth parliamentary election in 2001.
Hazi Bulbul, a businessman and resident of Chawk Bazar area in the old part of the city, told The Daily Star that like many he too did not know exactly which his constituency was.
“The last time I was in Dhaka-8 made up of Lalbagh and Hazaribagh areas. But this year I’m a voter in Dhaka-7, which consists of Lalbagh and Kotwali thanas,” said Bulbul.
Motijheel, Khilgaon and Sabujbagh thanas excluding a few unions were part of Dhaka-6 in the last election. But this year Motijheel has been roped to Shahbagh to form Dhaka-8.
Saifur Rahman Dhali, a first time voter in Motijheel area, told the Daily Star that he was not sure about his constituency and candidates until the campaign began last week.
“I learned that Rashed Khan Menon is on the grand alliance ticket only when he came to canvass here the other day. Before, I thought Saber Hossain Chowdhury was the candidate of Awami League.”
Saifur said candidates’ posters have helped remove his confusion over the constituency he is in.
Hazaribagh, which was in Dhaka-8 along with Lalbagh, has been added to Dhaka-12. Lalbagh in turn has been placed under Dhaka-7.
Mirpur, Pallabi and Kafrul and parts of Uttara Model Town and Harirampur union were in Dhaka-11 in 2001. In the recent delineation, as many as three seats have been carved out of the areas.
Shahriar Morshed, a resident of Mohammadpur, said he still does not know which his constituency is. He was under Dhaka-9 in the last election. Along with Adabar and parts of Dhanmondi and Hazaribagh, Mohammadpur is now a part of Dhaka-13.
M Badiuzzaman, a voter in Dhaka-8, said they used to see Mirza Abbas and Saber Hossain Chowdhury competing for their constituency. But since the two are not around this time, he does not know who the candidates here are.
Talking to The Daily Star, DCC Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka said that some voters are indeed confused about the constituencies due to re-demarcation.
“Hopefully, the confusion will be over once the electioneering is in full swing.”
Khoka, also the four-party candidate for Dhaka-6, observed that the candidates too have a duty to inform the voters about their constituencies.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
