Jatiya Sangsad (national parliament) speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Sunday said she has got the resignation letters of seven lawmakers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Five of them submitted the letters in person. Among the two others, one is abroad and another is indisposed.
The speaker was talking to newspersons after receiving the resignation letters in the afternoon.
Regarding the resignation letter of Harunur Rashid, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said there is no compulsion that one has to submit the letter in person.
But Harunur Rashid has emailed the letter that has a scanned signature. It will not be accepted. He has to send resignation letter again, she added.
The speaker also mentioned the concerned section of the constitution regarding this.
Five BNP lawmakers who submitted their resignation letters at the Jatiya Sangsad secretariat on Sunday morning are -- Md. Aminul Islam from Chapainawabganj-2, Md. Mosharrof Hossain from Bogura-4, Golam Mohammad Siraj from Bogura-6 and Zahidur Rahman from Thakurgaon-3 and Rumeen Farhana, a lawmaker from reserved seats.
Two MPs -- Md. Harunur Rashid from Chapainawabgan-3 and Abdus Sattar from Brahmanbaria-2 -- could not submit the resignation letters in person as one of them is abroad while another person is indisposed.
The remaining period of the tenure of 11th national parliament is more than one year.
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said seats of the five MPs who brought their resignation letters have become vacant. The signatures of the remaining two MPs will be verified and the parliament secretariat will enquire whether they sent the resignation letters.
She further said the parliament secretariat will issue a gazette notification announcing the seats vacant.
Opposition BNP held a rally at Golapbagh ground in Dhaka Saturday and highlighted their 10-point demands that included dissolving the Jatiya Sangsad and forming a non-party caretaker government that will oversee the 12th parliamentary elections.
Seven BNP lawmakers announced resignation from parliament at the rally. Following this five of them submitted the resignation letters to the speaker in person this morning.
Out of 350 seats, including the reserved seats for women, in the 11th Jatiya Sangsad, BNP had seven MPs.