Dhaka:The Election Commission has announced the schedule for a by-election for the reserved women's seat in the 13th Parliament following the resignation of Ferdousy Ahmed Mishti. The by-election is set for November 12.
According to United News of Bangladesh, an official notification was issued by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, detailing the by-election schedule. Candidates must submit their nomination papers to the returning officer at Nirbachan Bhaban by October 26, with scrutiny of the papers scheduled for October 27. The deadline for withdrawing candidature is November 1, and voting, if necessary, will be held on November 12.
Ferdousy Ahmed Mishti, who was elected from a reserved women's seat with a nomination from the BNP, resigned on October 1. Her resignation followed instructions from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman amid allegations of her involvement in an attack, vandalism, looting, and demolition at the Radda MCH-FP Centre, a maternal and child healthcare facility in Mirpur, Dhaka, on September 24.
Under the law, only the BNP can nominate a candidate for the vacant seat. If more than one candidate is nominated, only lawmakers from the BNP alliance will be eligible to vote. However, reserved women's seats typically have a single candidate, which generally negates the need for voting.