Tarique Rahman vacates Bogura-6 constituency

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman has decided to vacate the Bogura-6 constituency despite securing victories in both Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.

Election officials confirmed the information on Monday.

The decision was formally communicated to the Election Commission on February 16, according to Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Hossain. 

He said an official letter had been submitted on behalf of Tarique Rahman, requesting that the Bogura-6 seat be relinquished. The process of declaring the seat vacant and issuing the relevant gazette notification is currently underway.

Under the Representation of the People Order, a candidate is allowed to contest a maximum of three parliamentary constituencies. 

However, if elected in more than one seat, the law requires the candidate to inform the Election Commission within 30 days of gazette publication about which seat they intend to retain. 

Failure to do so empowers the commission to retain one seat on the candidate’s behalf and declare the remaining seats vacant.

The election, held on February 12, saw Tarique Rahman contest and win in both constituencies. In Dhaka-17, he secured 72,699 votes, defeating his closest rival, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate ASM Khaliduzzaman, who received 68,300 votes. 

In Bogura-6, Tarique won by a commanding margin, polling 216,284 votes against Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Abidur Rahman Sohel, who received 97,626 votes.

With the Bogura-6 seat set to be declared vacant, the Election Commission is legally required to hold a by-election within 90 days of the vacancy being announced. 

Officials said a fresh election schedule for the constituency will be announced soon.