Residents of the two unions have held a protest march, a memorandum, a human chain and blocked roads in protest of the exclusion of Ashwadia and Neyajpur unions from Noakhali-4 constituency in the draft proposal for the reorganisation of parliamentary seats ahead of the upcoming 13th national elections.

On Wednesday (August 6), from 11 am to 1 pm, agitating students and ordinary people blocked the Sonapur-Kabirhat road in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and Ashwadia Girls’ School and College in Sadar Upazila. At that time, thousands of agitating people held a protest march, a human chain and a sit-in program on the road. Later, the residents of Neyajpur union submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. After receiving the information, the police of Sudharam Police Station led by the Additional Superintendent of Police reached the spot and lifted the blockade with the assurance that the demands of the locals would be conveyed to the higher authorities. At that time, speakers at the rally threatened a larger movement if Neyajpur and Ashwadia unions in Sadar Upazila were not merged with the previous Noakhali-4 (Sadar-Subarnachar) constituency.

The rally was addressed by District Jamaat Ameer Ishaq Khandaker, former Sadar Upazila BNP convener Salim Ullah Bahar Hiron, former General Secretary VP Jasim, District BNP member Abdul Motaleb Apel, former Neyajpur Union BNP president Kamal Uddin Babul, former General Secretary Zakir Hossain Alo, District Justice for July general secretary Yasin Arafat, Ashwadia Citizens Forum convener Golam Mostafa Selim, Ashwadia Union BNP former president Hasan Mahmud Tansen, former General Secretary Mozammel Hossain Sayem, Ashwadia Union Jubo Dal president Sajjad Hossain Real, Noakhali city Jamaat leader Saiful Islam, etc.

The speaker said that while the Election Commission has shown the preservation of “unified administrative units” as an important criterion in the reorganisation of parliamentary seats, the Ashwadia and Neyajpur unions in the district headquarters have been excluded from Noakhali 4 constituencies without following this criterion.