A total of 49 candidates have been elected unopposed to the reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament, with the Election Commission (EC) set to publish the official gazette on Thursday.
Officials said no candidate withdrew their nomination on the final day of withdrawal, leaving an equal number of valid candidates for the available seats.
As a result, all 49 were declared elected uncontested.
The announcement was made at a briefing held on Wednesday at the EC headquarters in Agargaon by Returning Officer and EC Joint Secretary Md Moin Uddin Khan.
He said the withdrawal period remained open from 9am to 4pm on Wednesday, but no applications were submitted.
“As per the law, the list of 49 valid candidates will be placed before the commission tomorrow for gazette notification,” he added.
Of the elected candidates, 36 are from the BNP-led alliance, 12 belong to the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance, and one is from an independent bloc.
After publication of the gazette by the EC Secretariat, the list will be sent to the Parliament Secretariat for arranging oath-taking procedures.
Regarding the remaining one seat out of the total 50 reserved seats, officials said the nomination of NCP leader Nusrat Tabassum was initially rejected due to late submission.
She later filed a writ petition with the High Court.
The court directed the EC to accept her nomination, scrutinise it, and dispose of the matter within 72 hours.
The EC is now taking steps in line with the court order, officials said.
Meanwhile, another candidate from the Jamaat alliance, Monira Sharmin, had her nomination earlier rejected as she had not completed the required three-year gap after leaving government service.
The EC said it has not yet been informed whether she has appealed the decision.
The commission added that a final decision regarding the remaining seat will be taken in accordance with the law after the Nusrat Tabassum case is resolved.
