The date of Barisal-5 by-election has been rescheduled. The new date is June 15.Shahidul Alam, Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer of the election said that the Election Commission did not explain the reason of shifting the date from June 12.Barisal-5 constituency became vacant with the death of AL MP Hiron on April 9 and the Election Commission on April 29 fixed the voting date on June 12. The Awami League Parliamentary Board has picked up Begum Jebunnessa Afroj, widow of late city AL President and MP Shawkat Hossain Hiron as AL candidate but the BNP has declared that it would boycott the polls. The ruling Awami League Parliamentary Board (ALPB) holding a meeting with Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her official residence in the Ganabhaban in Dhaka for the by-election interviewed a number of aspirants and finally nominated Jebunessa Afroj as their candidate on May 8.Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, Central Organizing Secretary and City unit President of BNP, said that the 19-party alliance would not participate in the by-election as the EC was playing the second fiddle of AL-led 14-party alliance. It had also failed to play neutral role, creating level playing field. As many as 3, 42,228 voters will exercise their franchise in the bye-election.
