Saturday’s EC hearing brings 51 candidates back to election race

Voting image -_11zon

In a boost for their hopes ahead of Bangladesh’s national election, 51 aspirants regained their candidacies on Saturday, including independent candidate Tasnim Jara from Dhaka-9 and Jamaat-e-Islami’s AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad from Cox’s Bazar-2.

The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, declared them valid candidates, hearing the appeal petitions filed by them, at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area.

“A total of 52 appeal petitions were accepted, while 15 other rejected and the rest three ones remain pending,” said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed after the first-day hearing of the petitions filed by aggrieved aspirants against the decisions of the returning officers over the nomination papers.

Among the 52 granted petitions, one appeal was submitted by a BNP candidate for Brahmanbaria-1 MA Hannan, challenging the acceptance of the nomination paper of an independent candidate in his constituency.

With the EC’s decision, independent candidate SAK Ekramuzzaman lost his candidature.

A total of 645 aspirants filed appeal petitions with the Election Commission before the deadline expired on Friday, challenging returning officers’ decisions on the rejection and acceptance of nomination papers.

Most of the petitions were submitted against the cancellation of nomination papers during the scrutiny. The Election Commission will hear and dispose of all the petitions by January 18.

Tasnim Jara to seek ‘Football’ as electoral symbol:

Regaining the candidature, Tasnim Jara in an instant reaction told reporters “The appeal I submitted to the Election Commission has been accepted. As an independent candidate for Dhaka-9, my nomination paper has been declared valid.”

Describing the past week as a different experience, Tasnim Jara said she received overwhelming support and prayers from people both at home and abroad.

“When I spoke to people on the streets, many expressed disappointment and pain, but also offered prayers (for me),” she said, thanking everyone involved in the struggle.

The independent candidate said she would now apply for an election symbol.

“As an independent candidate, we will apply for our preferred symbol — the football. The final decision will rest with the Election Commission,” she said, extending thanks to the EC for listening to their arguments.

“Above all, we firmly believe that with public support we will be able to contest the upcoming election,” said Tasnim Jara.

Earlier, the 69 returning officers – two divisional commissioners (Dhaka and Chattogram), 64 district deputy commissioners and three regional election commissioners (Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna) – declared that the nomination papers of a total of 1,842 candidates valid and that of 723 others invalid during the five-day nomination paper scrutiny from December 30 to January 04.

During the scrutiny, the nomination paper of Tasnim Jara for Dhaka-9 was rejected on ground of inconsistency in the required 1% of voter signatures to qualify for nomination, while that of Hamidur Rahman candidate for Cox’s Bazar-2 (Maheshkhali-Kutubdia) was turned down due to case related issues.

A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers for the country’s 300 constituencies by the December-29 deadline to contest the 13th parliamentary election.

The Election Commission on December 11 announced the election schedule to arrange the national election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12, 2026.

According to the schedule, the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is January 20. The election campaign will start on January 22 and continue till 48 hours before the balloting period (7:30am on February 10). - UNB