Fifty-one candidates, including Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad and independent contender Tasnim Jara, regained their candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary election on the first day of appeal hearings at Election Commission on Sunday.
Additionally, EC upheld the decisions of the returning officers, cancelling the nominations of 15 hopefuls and placing three appeals on hold.
Meanwhile, the candidacy of independent candidate Syed AK Ekramuzzaman from Brahmanbaria-1, which had been previously deemed valid by the returning officer, was cancelled.
EC officials said an application was filed seeking the cancellation of Ekramuzzaman’s candidacy. After the hearing, the commission approved the application, cancelling his candidacy.
The appeal hearing took place at the Election Bhaban in Agargaon. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasiruddin, along with other commissioners, was present at the hearing.
After the hearing, EC’s Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that hearings for 70 appeals were held on the first day. Of these, 52 appeals were granted, 15 were dismissed, and 3 remain pending.
After regaining her candidacy, Tasnim Jara expressed her immediate reaction at the Election Bhaban. “My candidacy has been declared valid. People both in the country and abroad have prayed for me. I thank them all.”
“As an independent candidate, I am eligible to apply for a symbol, and my preferred symbol is football,” she added.
On 3 January, former NCP leader Tasnim Jara’s nomination paper was rejected due to discrepancies involving the voter information of two signatories among the required one per cent of voters’ signatures for independent candidates.
Meanwhile, Jamaat’s candidate for Cox’s Bazar-2, Hamidur Rahman Azad’s nomination was cancelled on 2 January due to complications related to a legal case, against which he appealed to the Election Commission.
“The appeal filed by Hamidur Rahman has been accepted,” said Barrister Mahmud Al Mamun Himu, the lawyer for Jamaat’s candidate Hamidur Rahman Azad, after the hearings.
In Panchagarh-1, Al Rashed Pradhan, the spokesperson for the Jatiya Ganatantrik Party, who regained his candidacy, said, “BNP candidates are managing to keep their candidacies despite issues like loan defaults and foreign citizenship. However, candidates from Jamaat, Jagpa, and 11 other parties are being disqualified.”
“This creates an uneven playing field. Our concern is whether such an environment will persist in the election as well,” he added.
According to the Election Commission’s decision, over 2,500 nomination papers were submitted by independent and party candidates to contest in the upcoming election, scheduled for 12 February.
Between 20 December and 4 January, returning officers cancelled the nominations of 723 individuals after scrutiny, leaving 1,842 valid candidates.
A total of 645 appeals were filed against the returning officers’ decisions during the nomination paper scrutiny. The hearings, which began on Saturday, will continue until 18 January.
As per the schedule, the last date for withdrawal of candidacies is 20 January, after which the final list of candidates will be confirmed. Symbol allocation will take place on 21 January, and the election campaign will commence on 22 January.
Who regained candidacies
Among those who regained their candidacies are independent candidate Md Shah Alam Basar from Rangpur-4, independent candidate Mohammad Golam Mostafa from Shariatpur-1, Jatiya Party candidate Md Abdul Hannan from Shariatpur-3, Jatiya Party candidate Mohammad Mustafa Jamal from Narsingdi-1, Jatiya Party candidate Md Salahuddin Khoka from Narayanganj-4, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis candidate Mizanur Rahman from Faridpur-4, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis candidate Md Ruhul Amin from Gazipur-5, Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Md Nuruddin from Chattogram-11, Jatiya Party candidate Md Khurshid Alam from Chapainawabganj-2, Bangladesh Supreme Party candidate Md Altaf Hossain Molla from Rajshahi-5, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal candidate Badruddoza Manojit Dhiman from Cumilla-1, independent candidate Abu Shama Md Redwanul Haque from Lalmonirhat-1, Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Md Anwar Hossain from Dhaka-18, Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Mansur from Chandpur-2, independent candidate Md Kamrul Islam Said from Madaripur-2, Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Md Shahjahan Ali Talukder from Bogura-3, independent candidate Md Shahin Reza Chowdhury from Kishoreganj-4, independent candidate Kazi Reza Kabir from Kishoreganj-4, independent candidate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal from Kishoreganj-5, Khilafat Majlis candidate Ahmad Ali from Kishoreganj-1, Khilafat Majlis candidate Hedayatullah Hadi from Kishoreganj-1, National Party candidate Habib Khan from Chandpur-1, Khilafat Majlis candidate Md Abdul Hock Amin from Cumilla-9, Revolutionary Workers Party candidate Champa Rani Sarkar from Netrokona-4, BNP candidate Dr Md Mahabubur Rahman from Mymensingh-7, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa) candidate Al Rashed Pradhan from Panchagarh-1 and 2, Bangladesh Islami Front candidate Mashiur Rahman from Narsingdi-5, National Party candidate Moshiyar Rahman from Magura-2, AB Party candidate Mokammel Hossain from Habiganj-4, independent candidate Md Mostafa Mohsin from Gaibandha-1, independent candidate Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan from Gopalganj-2, Jatiya Party candidate Md Kamruzzaman Khan from Jhalkathi-1, Islami Oikko Jot candidate Hafiz Maulana Mufti Shamim Ahmed from Gazipur-3, independent candidate Mohammad Ali from Tangail-1, independent candidate Md Salahuddin Sarker from Gazipur-2, Jatiya Party candidate SM Shafiqul Islam from Gazipur-1, Bangladesh Congress candidate Firoz Uddin Chowdhury from Feni-1, JASOD candidate Kazi Tofael Ahmed from Habiganj-1, Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD) candidate Dilruba from Bogura-6, Insaanyat Biplobi Bangladesh candidate Mohammad Ibrahim from Narsingdi-2, Jatiya Party candidate Khondkar Faekujjaman from Narail-2, independent candidate Md Shahnewaz Firoz Shuvo Shah from Dinajpur-6, Jatiya Party candidate Shamim Ara Parveen (Yasmeen) from Khulna-5, BASAD candidate Syed Harun-or-Rashid from Dhaka-18, and Jatiyra Party candidate Ponir Uddin Ahmed from Kurigram-2.
Meanwhile, the following candidates had their appeals rejected:
Bangladesh Congress candidate Kazi Shariful Islam from Narsingdi-4, Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Mujibur Rahman Shamim from Bagerhat-1, Jatiya Party candidate Md Manjum Ali from Rangpur-1, independent candidate Roni Mollah from Gopalganj-2, independent candidate Md Monir Hossain from Dhaka-3, independent candidate Md Ashadul Biswas from Khulna-6, Jatiya Party candidate Md Faruk from Dhaka-3, Khilafat Majlis candidate Md Azabul Haque from Natore-1, independent candidate Md Ujjal Mollah from Narsingdi-1, Gano Adhikar Parishad candidate Md Hasanul Islam from Pabna-3, independent candidate Abdur Rauf Mollah (absent) from Khulna-3, independent candidate Abu Zayed Al Mahmud from Cumilla-1, independent candidate Md Mahyuddin Howlader from Dhaka-18, independent candidate Md Ilyas Mia from Cox’s Bazar-3, and independent candidate Musa Siraji from Brahmanbaria-5.
Furthermore, the appeals of independent candidates Md Mahyuddin from Munshiganj-3, Md Kamruzzaman from Jashore-5, and Mizanur Rahman Babur from Patuakhali-3 remain suspended.
