Six candidates have cleared scrutiny for the by-election to the Thakurgaon-1 parliamentary seat, which will be held on 29 October. The returning officer announced the result of the scrutiny on 29 September.

Why the seat is vacant

Thakurgaon-1 covers Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia and Bhulli. The seat fell vacant after its member, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, was elected President of Bangladesh in August and took office.

The candidates

The six candidates whose nominations were found valid are:

  • Mirza Faisal Amin, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the younger brother of the President;
  • Obaidullah Masud, a vice-president of the district BNP;
  • Delawar Hossain, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami;
  • Md Abdul Alim Nizami, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon;
  • Md Khademul Islam, Islami Andolan Bangladesh;
  • Hussain Muhammad Omar Faruk, Bangladesh Congress.

The returning officer said no irregularities had been found in the required documents and that preparations were under way to hold the vote in a free, fair and peaceful environment.

Schedule and voters

The Election Commission's schedule allows appeals against scrutiny decisions from 30 September to 4 October. The last day to withdraw candidacy is 7 October, and symbols will be allocated on 8 October.

The constituency has 515,525 registered voters, who will cast their ballots at 185 polling centres with 989 booths. Registration for postal voting opened on 27 September.

Why it matters

Following the February general election, the BNP holds 246 seats in the 300-seat Parliament, while Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition party, holds 76. The National Citizen Party has eight seats, and the rest are held by smaller parties and independent members. Under the Constitution, the President is elected by members of Parliament, and a member who becomes President must give up his seat, which is why a by-election is needed.

The seat was held by Mirza Fakhrul, who was the BNP's secretary general before becoming President. The result will not change the balance in Parliament, where the BNP holds a large majority, but parties will treat it as an early test of their organisation ahead of the local government elections planned for the coming months.

Sources: ecs.gov.bd, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org