Voting for the Sylhet-3 by-election, scheduled for July 28 but postponed following a High Court order, is now likely to take place on September 4.
The Election Commission (EC) is planning to conduct the by-election in the first week of September.
EC sources said that the deadline for the by-election to Sylhet-3 constituency is September 7 this year as per the Constitution. It will not be possible to arrange voting in the Sylhet-3 constituency in August. The date of voting will be fixed two to three days before the deadline. So, the by-election is likely to be held on September 4. However, if it is not possible to hold the by-election on that day, the polling day may be fixed on September 5.
Additional Secretary of the EC Secretariat, Ashok Kumar Debnath told the media that the commission does not want to hold any election in the month of mourning as well as in the month of the martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. As a result, the by-election to Sylhet-3 constituency will be held in the first week of September.
The High Court on Monday (July 26) stayed the by-election until August 5 due to the ongoing strict lockdown. The HC bench of M Enayetur Rahim issued the order following a writ petition.
The court had said that it would take further decisions about holding the by-election after August 5 on hearing the petition in detail and observing the circumstances.
Six lawyers and seven voters of Sylhet-3 constituency collectively submitted the writ petition, saying that holding the by-election on July 28 was contradictory to the ongoing lockdown enforced by the government.
Advocate Mohammad Shishir Manir, a lawyer of the Bangladesh Supreme Court who is one of the petitioners, said that there was no constitutional obligation for the EC to hold the by-election to Sylhet-3 on July 28. So, they sent a legal notice to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda seeking postponement of Sylhet-3 by-polls. Later, they filed the writ petition.
The Sylhet-3 constituency fell vacant after Mahmud Us Samad Chowdhury died of Covid-19 on March 11.
Ruling Awami League candidate Habibur Rahman Habib, Jatiya Party candidate Mohammad Atiqur Rahman, Bangladesh Congress candidate Junayed Mohammad Miah and BNP rebel candidate Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury are contesting the by-polls.
