The Election Commission is likely to announce the polls schedule for reserved women seats today.
“The commission will fix the polls date at Sunday’s [today] commission meeting and are likely to announce the polls schedule,” Senior Assistant Secretary of the commission Farhad Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune.
Farhad also said the commission would publish the voter list of 297 Members of Parliament today as per the law.
A deputy secretary of the EC, seeking anonymity, said the commission secretariat had prepared a draft schedule of the polls and the EC might hold the polls on March 29.
“As per the draft, the last date of filing nomination papers is March 4 and the nomination papers would be scrutinised on March 6, while the last day for withdrawing nomination papers is March 12,” the official said. EC officials said the reserved seats are being distributed among the parties or alliances in proportion to the total seats won in the polls.
Independent lawmakers of the 10th general elections formed an alliance to participate in the polls for reserved seats.
The deputy secretary said as per the 10th parliamentary poll results, Awami League would get 39 seats, Jatiya Party six, Workers Party one, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) one, and the independent alliance would get three women reserved seats.
Of the 297 seats in the 10th parliamentary polls, Awami League got 231 seats, Jatiya Party (Ershad) got 34, Workers Party got six, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Inu) got five, Tariqat Federation got two, Jatiya Party (Manju) got two, Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) got a single seat, and independent candidates bagged 16 seats.
Meanwhile, Tangail 8 constituency fell vacant after Awami League lawmaker Shawkat Momen Shahjahan died, and the by-poll for Tangail 8 will be held on March 23, EC officials said. The commission did not publish the gazette for Jessore 1 and 2 constituencies.
