Dhaka: The Supreme Court has removed legal obstacles to holding elections in the Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 constituencies on February 12, following a decision issued by the Appellate Division on January 5. This ruling comes amidst ongoing disputes over the demarcation of these parliamentary constituencies, identified as No 68 (Pabna-1) and No 69 (Pabna-2).

According to United News of Bangladesh, the Election Commission had previously issued a circular on January 6, announcing the suspension of the elections scheduled for February 12 in the two constituencies, pending further court directives. This decision was in response to a legal challenge regarding the delimitation of the constituencies.

On September 4 of the previous year, the Election Commission released a gazette outlining changes to the boundaries of 46 constituencies, including Pabna-1 and Pabna-2, as part of the country’s 300 constituencies delimitation. The revised boundaries included forming Pabna-1 with the entire Santhia Upazila and Pabna-2 with Sujanagar and Bera Upazilas.

However, on December 24, the Election Commission issued a new gazette restoring the previous boundaries for the two constituencies, as directed by a High Court order. This restored configuration placed Santhia Upazila and parts of Bera Upazila, including Bera Municipality, within Pabna-1, while Pabna-2 consisted of Sujanagar Upazila and the remaining areas of Bera Upazila.

Subsequently, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for Pabna-1, Mohammad Najibur Rahman, along with the Election Commission, filed separate petitions with the Appellate Division seeking a stay on the High Court’s decision. On January 5, the Appellate Division ruled to stay the Election Commission’s revised gazette until leave-to-appeal petitions are filed, facilitating the scheduled elections to proceed.