The Election Commission on Thursday announced schedule for by-election to Gazipur-4 parliamentary constituency fixing September 30 as the polling day.
The chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, made the announcement at a press briefing at his office at the Election Commission Secretariat.
The last day for filing nomination papers is September 3 while the deadline for withdrawing candidature is September 13.
The nomination papers will be scrutinised on September 5.
The parliamentary constituency fell vacant on July 7 when ruling AL lawmaker Tanjim Ahmed, better known as Sohel Taj, formally resigned as a Member of Parliament announcing that he would no longer be active in politics.
The EC will have to hold the by-polls to the vacant seat by October 5 as the constitution stipulates that by-election to any parliamentary constituency will have to be held within 90 days from the day it falls vacant.
It will be the first election under the current EC which was constituted in early February.
The EC Secretariat has already completed all preparations for holding the polls.
A total of 2,11,884 voters, 1.11 lakh of whom are women, are expected to cast their vote in the by-polls for which the commission will set up 102 polling stations with 472 booths.
The constituency is comprised of 11 Union Parishads.
The main opposition, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has already announced it would boycott the Gazipur-4 by-polls.
When his attention was drawn to the opposition’s announcement to boycott the polls, the chief election commissioner said, ‘We would hope that all political parties would take part in the by-polls to make it participatory.’
‘You see every political party might have a certain political strategy. The commission is a constitutional entity and we are discharging our duties,’ he added.
Describing different preparations taken by the EC, the CEC said like the past by-elections the commission would deploy required number of law enforcers during the polls.
He said Rapid Action Battalion will be on duty in the election area as a striking force in the run up to the polls and on the polls day and each of the teams of RAB will be led by an executive magistrate.
Rakibuddin Ahmad made a clarion call to all political parties as well as the candidates to abide by the electoral code of conduct to ensure holding of a free and fair election.
It will be a public holiday on the Election Day in the polling area.
On April 23, the Gazipur-4 MP, Sohel Taj sent in his resignation through his secretary but the Speaker did not accept it, saying it must be handed over in person.
His resignation was finalised on July 7 after he met Speaker Abdul Hamid to formally submit his resignation letter.
The speaker accepted his resignation letter and declared his seat vacant the day next.
-With New Age input
