All the political parties, in a significant development during the second round of the National Consensus Commission-hosted dialogue on Wednesday, reached a consensus on the formation of a specialised expert committee to oversee the delimitation of constituencies.
They agreed on an amendment to the Delimitation of Constituency Act 2021 (amended in 2025) and the constitution鈥檚 article 119 to accommodate the specialised committee.
Although the parties agreed on the formation of a caretaker government to hold national elections, their opinions remained sharply divided over the caretaker government鈥檚 structure and leadership.
The dialogue鈥檚 first session, chaired by NCC vice-chair Professor Ali Riaz, brought together the representatives from 29 political parties to discuss the delimitation of constituencies.
On behalf of the NCC, its member Badiul Alam Majumder, also the former chief of the Electoral Reform Commission, proposed an independent but temporary Delimitation Commission to oversee the particular task, followed by a population census. Additionally, the NCC proposed a specialised committee to assist the Election Commission for delimitation prior to the 13th national election.聽
Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed emphasised that, according to the constitution鈥檚 article 119 and the Delimitation of Constituencies Act 2021 (amended in 2025), delimitation must remain under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission.
He warned that creating an independent commission might conflict with the constitutional mandate.
Salahuddin suggested introducing a new sub-clause under sub-article 1 of the constitution鈥檚 article 119 to mandate an expert committee after every census without delaying the national election.
Several political parties, including the Socialist Party of Bangladesh, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, the Revolutionary Workers Party of Bangladesh, the Nationalist Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the National People鈥檚 Party, supported expert involvement but opposed a new commission out of the EC to oversee the delimitation activities.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and National Citizen Party joint convener Javed Rasin endorsed an independent commission for delimitation to keep the EC from delimitation-related controversy.
Ganosamhati Andolan鈥檚 executive coordinator Abul Hassan Rubel raised concerns about an 鈥榠ndependent commission鈥�. He recommended that the Election Commission be independent.
Most of the parties demanded that the Delimitation of Constituencies Act must allow the aggrieved parties to lodge their appeal to review the proposed delimitation committee鈥檚 decision.
By the end of the morning session, all the parties endorsed the formation of a specialised expert committee for constituency delimitation.
According to their proposal, the committee will be mandated to do the job following each census, or taking a time of not more than 10 years.
The afternoon session resumed with a discussion on the formation and framework of a caretaker government.
Jamaat鈥檚 Taher supported the 13th amendement to the constitution that allowed the national election under a caretaker government in 1996.
He proposed a four-month caretaker government with responsibility to hold local and national elections.
He also suggested that, if necessary, the tenure of the caretaker government might be extended by two months.
He, however, opposed the NCC鈥檚 idea of appointing the president as the chief adviser as the last option.
NCP鈥檚 Javed Rasin opposed the 13th amendment that had a provision to appoint the last retired chief justice as the chief adviser.
He recommended the introduction of an all-party parliamentary committee to nominate a potential chief adviser. If consensus on the committee鈥檚 proposal is not reached, the upper house will intervene, he proposed.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh鈥檚 senior joint secretary general Gazi Ataur Rahman backed the full implementation of the 13th amendment and proposed a 120-day term for the caretaker government with the responsibility to hold both national and local elections.
Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasod鈥檚 presidium member Mushtuq Hosain found the idea of holding local polls under a caretaker setup desirable but impractical under the current system.
NDP secretary general Mominul Amin suggested a 90-day caretaker government, headed by a former chief election commissioner, while Ahmed Abdul Kader of Khelafat Majlish advocated for secret ballot voting among political parties to choose the chief adviser.
SPB general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz also endorsed the 13th amendment and a 90-day tenure for the caretaker government.
He said that there was no problem with appointing the last retired chief justice if the ongoing reforms of the judiciary sustained.
Other parties including RWPB, Gano Adhikar Parishad, LDP, Nezam-e-Islam Party, Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, AB Party, Bangladesh Labour Party, Jatiyo Dal, and Gano Forum also took part in the debates on the tenure of a caretaker government, chief adviser selection processes, and local government elections during the caretaker government鈥檚 tenure.
But all the parties opposed the option for appointing the president as chief adviser.聽
BNP鈥檚 Salahuddin reiterated his party鈥檚 stance for a 90-day caretaker government, extendable by one month, and opposed the inclusion of local government elections as its responsibility.
Before adjourning the day鈥檚 proceedings, the NCC vice-chair Ali Riaz noted that consensus had been reached on the caretaker government鈥檚 broad structure but most parties opposed the inclusion of the president as the chief adviser.
