At least 60 more candidates regained their candidacy on the sixth day of appeal hearings at the Election Commission (EC) against returning officers’ decisions on nomination scrutiny for the 13th national parliamentary election.
With this, a total of 335 candidates has been cleared to contest the national election following six days of hearings, allowing them to take part in the national polls scheduled for 12 February.
The information was shared on Thursday after the appeal hearings at the EC building auditorium, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, according to EC Public Relations Wing Director Ruhul Amin Mallik.
According to the EC, a total of 104 appeals were placed before the Election Appeal Tribunal on Thursday.
After the hearings, the commission approved 60 appeals, rejected 29, and deferred 10 for later disposal. In addition, appeals filed against five previously valid candidates were dismissed, leaving their candidacies intact.
Over the past six days, the commission has heard a total of 480 appeals, of which 335 have been allowed. The EC aims to dispose of all 645 appeals by 18 January.
Meanwhile, eight candidates of the Jatiya Party, led by its one-faction chairman and Chattogram-5 candidate Anisul Islam Mahmud, failed to regain their nominations even on appeal.
Those whose nominations were cancelled also include National Democratic Front Executive Chairman Mujibul Haq Chunnu.
Anisul Islam Mahmud’s nomination was not restored as the signatures on the party nomination papers did not match those on the documents submitted to the EC.
After the appeal hearing, lawyers for Anisul Islam Mahmud and the other seven candidates said a writ petition on the matter is pending before the court and requested that the hearing be deferred until a verdict is delivered. However, the EC rejected their plea to restore the candidacies.
Separately, the EC dismissed an appeal challenging the candidacy of BNP-nominated Hummam Quader Chowdhury in Chattogram-7, thereby upholding his nomination for the 13th national parliamentary election. After his candidacy was upheld, Hummam Quader said there is a court stay order on the CIB report filed against him and that the commission, led by the CEC, declared his candidacy valid after considering the matter. He expressed satisfaction with the decision.
In Pirojpur-1, an appeal against the candidacy of BNP nominee Alamgir Hossain was filed by Jamaat candidate Masud Sayeedi, son of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi. The EC dismissed the appeal, leaving Alamgir Hossain’s candidacy intact.
To contest the upcoming national election, a total of 2,568 candidates submitted nomination papers in the country’s 300 constituencies by 29 December. After scrutiny, returning officers declared 1,842 nomination papers valid and 723 invalid.
