EC finalises new election map, 52 constituencies changed

There is no further scope to raise objections or seek judicial recourse over the boundaries

Compared to the last three parliamentary elections, the redrawing of constituencies ahead of the 13th national polls has brought more changes, affecting a total of 52 seats.

One seat has been added in Gazipur, while one has been removed from Bagerhat.

The Election Commission published a gazette on Thursday finalising the boundaries of all 300 constituencies. Voting will be held under these new boundaries.

In some cases, Upazilas remain intact under the new map. In others, unions from the same Upazila have been split between multiple constituencies.

This has led to frustration in places such as Faridpur and Bagerhat.

The draft boundaries were prepared in line with the Delimitation of Constituencies Act. The commission said the goal was to balance voter numbers, based on input from the National Consensus Commission and advice from a specialised committee.

On Jul 30, the EC announced changes to 39 seats out of 300. But more than 1,500 objections were later filed concerning 84 constituencies.

After reviewing the objections and holding hearings, the commission finalised its decision, raising the total number of changed seats to 52.

Redrawing constituency boundaries is required before every national election. The map was last updated in 2023 for the 12th parliamentary polls.

After the fall of the Awami League government last year, the commission was required to revise the boundaries again.

The 13th general election is set to be held in the first half of February, before Ramadan.

As a result, the EC completed a fresh redrawing of all 300 seats in just two years.

Around 250 constituencies remain unchanged from the 12th parliamentary election.

“This important task of redrawing boundaries has been completed with full professionalism, in compliance with the law, and maintaining impartiality. Now, constituency-wise election preparations and other tasks, including voter lists, are more visible,” said Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker.

EC officials added that there is no further scope for protest or judicial review of the boundaries. They stressed that the commission has full authority over redistricting, and the issue cannot be challenged any further.