Tangail-4 by-polls Jan 31
UNB
Tangail: The by-polls to Tangail-4 constituency (Kalihati) will be held on January 31, reports UNB.
The Election Commission sent a letter to the district election office on Tuesday announcing the date, said assistant returning officer Tajul Islam.
According to the election office, a total of 290,055 voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the by-election through 107 polling centres. Three candidatesMohammad Hasan Iman Khan of Awami League, Ataur Rahman Khan of BNF and Imrul Kayes of NPP are in the polls race.
The parliamentary seat remains vacant since September 1, 2015 as sacked minister Abdul Latif Siddique quit his parliament membership on the same date.
The former posts and telecommunications minister was dropped from the cabinet and stripped off his membership of the ruling Awami League in October in 2014 amid a wave of criticisms following his derogatory remarks on hajj and Tabligh Jamaat in the USA on September 28, 2014. In the schedule, the Election Commission set March 20, 2016 for the voting.
Krishak Sramik Janata League president Kader Siddique submitted the nomination paper but after a scrutiny, the returning officer on October 13, 2015, cancelled his nomination paper on loan default charges. The Krishak Shramik Janata League leader appealed to the Election Commission against the decision, but the commission rejected his plea on October 18.
Later, he filed a writ petition with the High Court against the Commissions decision.
Following this, the HC directed the Commission on October 21 to accept his candidacy and asked it and the government to explain why cancellation of his candidature should not be declared illegal.
On February 4, 2016, the HC rejected a writ petition filed by Kader Siddique challenging the legality of the cancellation of his candidature by the Election Commission.
