Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission (EC) has approved the roadmap for the upcoming 13th Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) elections, with officials hinting that its formal announcement could come as early as Thursday.
Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam, speaking to reporters after a high-level meeting at the EC headquarters in Agargaon on Wednesday, confirmed that the plan has already been finalized. “Everything regarding the roadmap is settled. Approval has been given; now it’s only being typed,” he said.
The meeting was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) A.M.M. Nasir Uddin and attended by four election commissioners along with the EC secretary.
Adding further weight to speculation, Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhter Ahmed signaled that there would be “no delay” in publishing the roadmap.
Responding to journalists following a boundary hearing at the commission, he said, “Perhaps tomorrow we will be able to share additional information. Please wait until then. What difference will one day make?”
The roadmap announcement comes amid ongoing constituency boundary hearings. Over the past four days, the EC has heard 1,185 objections and 708 recommendations concerning the redrawing of constituencies in 33 districts, total 1,893 submissions.
Hearings have already been conducted for 84 constituencies across 33 districts, including 18 seats yesterday spanning 12 districts.
However, the process has not been without controversy. On Tuesday, a scuffle broke out on the EC office premises during hearings over Brahmanbaria-2 and 3 constituencies. Asked whether such incidents foreshadowed potential violence at polling centers, Akhter Ahmed responded that the altercation was not directly tied to the EC’s role.
“If you and I had an argument outside, the organization could not be blamed for that. We have filed a general diary with the police, asking them to take necessary steps,” he said.
The senior secretary also dismissed rumors that the commission had seized passports of certain individuals. “I have heard such reports, but the EC has no authority to confiscate passports. We did not do this,” he clarified.
Hearings on constituency boundaries will continue in the coming days, covering dozens more seats across multiple districts, as the nation waits for the EC’s formal declaration of the election roadmap that will set the stage for Bangladesh’s next parliamentary polls
