By-elections to disgraced MP Shahid’s Lakshmipur-2 seat on Apr 11

The Election Commission will hold by-polls on Apr 11 to Lakshmipur-2 constituency that fell vacant after the Shahid Islam alias Kazi Papul was convicted in a criminal case in Kuwait.

The deadline for nomination submission is Mar 18, according to the schedule announced on Wednesday.

The candidates will have until Mar 24 for nomination withdrawal after scrutiny on Mar 19, EC Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker told reporters after a commission meeting.

The voting will be held on electronic machines.

Shahid was elected as an independent candidate for the constituency in the Eleventh Parliamentary Election held in 2018 while his wife Salina Islam also became a Member of Parliament from the seats reserved for women.

Shahid was arrested in Kuwait in June last year on charges of human trafficking, money laundering and bribing.

A Kuwaiti court sentenced him to four years in prison on Jan 28, 2021 after trial. The Parliament Secretariat issued a gazette notification cancelling Shahid’s parliament membership and vacating the seat.