New JS sits today

The maiden session of the 11th parliament is set to begin today without participation of the main opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front, as its eight lawmakers-elect — six from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and two from the Gono Forum — are yet to take oath.
The session is scheduled for 3:00pm to begin.
The duration of the session and the proceedings would be finalised at a meeting of the business advisory committee today.
The 11th Jatiya Sangsad will elect new speaker and deputy speaker in its first sitting, according to the Rules of Procedure.
President Abdul Hamid will address the parliament as per Article 73(2) of the constitution at the commencement of the first session following the December 30 general election, marred by fraud and flaws.
Like the 10th parliament, the 10 lawmakers of the allies of the ruling Awami League would sit in the treasury bench although AL general secretary Obaidul Quader earlier urged them to sit in the opposition, officials at the parliament secretariat said.
Quader’s suggestion, however, irked the allies, who questioned the legality of sitting in the opposition despite being elected as AL-led alliance candidates with AL electoral symbol boat in the elections.
The 22 Jatiya Party lawmakers will be in the opposition and party chairman HM Ershad will be the leader of the opposition while his younger brother GM Quader will be his deputy.
Seats in the opposition bench will remain empty for eight lawmakers-elect of the Jatiya Oikya Front.
The ruling Awami League-led ‘grand alliance’ bagged 289 of the 300 seats, while the Jatiya Oikya Front got only eight seats and independent candidates won three seats in the December 30 Bangladesh elections marred by fraud and flaws.
Following a series of bargain, Awami League’s main electoral ally Jatiya Party with 22 seats decided to sit in the opposition in parliament as the front decided that its eight lawmakers-elect would neither join the parliament nor take oath as lawmakers as it rejected the election results because of widespread flaws and fraud.
Lawmakers elected from the AL-led ‘grand alliance’ and independent ones took oath as members of the 11th parliament on January 3.
The ruling Awami League Parliamentary Party re-elected Awami League president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina as the leader of the house at its maiden meeting on January 3.
The new cabinet led by Sheikh Hasina for the third consecutive term took oath on January 7.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net