AL picks Niketa for Fakhrul’s vacant seat

Bogura Awami League joint secretary T Zaman Niketa has been picked for contesting the Bogura-6 by-election on party ticket.

"We've chosen T Zaman Niketa for the Bogura-6 by-election from our party," AL joint secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif told UNB over phone on Sunday.

The decision came from a meeting of Awami League Nomination Board held at the prime minister's official residence Ganobhaban with prime minister and AL president Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on 30 April declared the Bogura-6 constituency vacant as BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir did not take oath as MP or seek time before the deadline expired.

As per the law, if any MP-elect refrains from taking oath within 90 days after the beginning of the first session or refrains from informing the Speaker, his/her membership gets cancelled.

The election commission has announced that fresh polls will be held to Bogura-6 constituency on 24 June.

The last date for submitting nomination papers is 23 May and candidates will be able to withdraw nominations by 3 June. The nomination papers will be scrutinised on 27 May.

The symbols will be allocated among the candidates on 4 June.

Although Fakhrul refrained from taking oath, five other BNP MPs, however, were sworn in to the 11th parliament. While four of them took oath on 29 April, another was sworn in on 25 April.