Tarique cancels Bogura visit due to by-election

The Bogura leg of the pilot project is temporarily suspended due to the by-poll, his deputy press secretary says

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has cancelled his scheduled visit to Bogura on Mar 10, where he was set to start the distribution of Family Card.

Bogura Deputy Commissioner Toufikur Rahman confirmed the visit’s cancellation on Monday night.

"The prime minister has opted not to conduct the programme before the by-poll. A new date will be announced later," he said.

The prime minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Atiqur Rahman Ruman clarified that while the Bogura leg of the pilot project is temporarily suspended, the Family Card initiative will proceed as planned in other designated areas.

Rezaul Karim Badsha, the BNP's candidate for the Bogura-6 by-election, explained that the Family Cards programme could be seen as a breach of election rules.

“The prime minister wishes to strictly adhere to the regulations," he said.

The Family Card programme is a key electoral pledge of the BNP designed to provide a safety net for the country's most vulnerable.

In Bogura, Ward No 3 of Shakharia Union in Sadar Upazila had been selected for the pilot, with local committees already formed to identify beneficiaries.

The Bogura-6 seat fell vacant after Tarique, who won both the Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17 seats in the parliamentary polls, vacated the constituency in accordance with constitutional rules.

The Election Commission has scheduled the by-election for Apr 9.