Faridpur residents block roads over JS seat redemarcation

Faridpur residents block highways over constituency boundary changes

Residents of Faridpur's Bhanga have blocked two major highways, protesting the Election Commission's (EC) decision to redraw Jatiya Sangsad (JS) constituencies ahead of the upcoming 13th national election, reports bdnews24.com.

From around 9:30 am on Friday, protesters felled trees and lit tyres to block the Dhaka-Khulna and Faridpur-Barishal highways at Mansurabad and Hamirdi bus stands, according to Bhanga Police Station chief Mohammad Ashraf.

The blockade brought traffic through Bhanga to a halt, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and leaving passengers stuck long delays.

On Thursday, the EC published the revised boundaries for all 300 constituencies. Under the new plan, Algi and Hamirdi unions of Bhanga upazila, previously part of the Faridpur-4 constituency, were shifted into Faridpur-2, which includes Nagarkanda and Saltha upazilas.

The changes sparked anger among locals, who demand that Faridpur's constituencies remain unchanged. Protesters said they would not accept the inclusion of their areas into a different constituency.

"Law enforcement personnel are trying to persuade the people to leave the highways," said Ashraf. "We hope traffic can be restored soon."

This is not the first time Faridpur has seen constituency changes. In 2013, the EC reduced its five parliamentary seats to four as part of a nationwide redistricting. The new changes have revived long-standing frustrations over the division of parliamentary boundaries in the district.