Political parties including Bangladesh Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jatiya Party on Wednesday expressed fear that the delimitation of parliament constituencies by the Election Commission may hamper the roadmap to elections, according to ATN, a private TV channel.

UNB adds: Awami League leadership Wednesday urged the Election Commission (EC) to cancel the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies as it might hamper the holding of national elections in line with the electoral roadmap.

Speaking at a discussion marking the historic May Day at the party''s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue, AL presidium member Abdur Razzaq questioned as to why the EC took the initiatives delimitating the parliament constituencies.

He demanded cancellation of the delimitation, saying that "The EC should complete the most important tasks relating to the election right now. Don''t do any new work in a hurry," he said. Rickshaw Sramik League, a unit of the Jatiya Sramik League, organized the meeting presided over by its president Insur Ali.

Razzaq asked the government to release Sheikh Hasina to create congenial atmosphere for holding elections and make the formal dialogue meaningful in resolving the crises facing the people. He said doubt has been created among the people over holding of the elections in time and asked the EC to declare election schedule immediately to remove the public doubt.

"We also demand the national election first prior to the local body election and the state of emergency should be lifted before the parliamentary polls," Razzak said.

Another presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said the EC should settle by June all appeals to be filed against delimitation of the constituencies and the EC should ensure that the appeals are not be submitted to the court. "It is not a compulsory for the EC to go for delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies.

Don''t create legal complications in this regard. Otherwise, the election roadmap could be hampered," he said. Sengupta called for accepting the demands of the workers including their right to trade union activities. About the political dialogue with the government, he proposed the presence of army personnel during the dialogue to make it meaningful.

Sengupta asked the government to lift the state of emergency saying that free, fair and credible election is not possible under the emergency. AL Labour Affairs Secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, Jatiya Sramik League President Abdul Matin Master and General Secretary Roy Ramesh Chandra, among others, spoke at the discussion.

The Election Commission has re-demarcated 133 out of the 300 electoral constituencies to remove big discrepancies in number of voters.