The Election Commission has cancelled at least 45 nomination papers, including those of two prominent political figures, on the third day of scrutiny ahead of Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections scheduled for 12 February next year.
Election officials across eight districts rejected the nominations on Friday, citing discrepancies and concealment of information in affidavits, according to returning officers.
Among the high-profile candidates, the nomination of Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna was cancelled for the Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency. The nomination of Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad was also cancelled in Cox’s Bazar-2 (Maheshkhali–Kutubdia).
A total of 2,582 candidates have submitted nomination papers to contest the election.
Manna’s nomination cancelled in Bogura
Bogura’s returning officer and deputy commissioner Toufiqur Rahman said Manna’s nomination was cancelled for multiple reasons, including errors in asset declaration and procedural irregularities in the affidavit.
He said the affidavit required both the candidate and the lawyer to sign on the same day, but the lawyer signed one day earlier than Manna. In addition, documents relating to cases in which Manna claimed acquittal were not submitted.
Manna had earlier faced obstacles to contesting the election after his name appeared on the Credit Information Bureau (CIB) list of loan defaulters. Although the Appellate Division’s Chamber Court stayed a High Court order last Sunday and temporarily suspended his name from the CIB list following loan rescheduling, election officials said the affidavit and documentation discrepancies remained grounds for rejection.
According to bank records, Islami Bank Bangladesh had sought recovery of more than Tk 38 crore in defaulted loans from Manna’s company, Afaku Cold Storage Limited, stemming from an approved investment of Tk 22 crore in 2010.
In Bogura-2, the nominations of three other candidates were also cancelled. The nomination of Jatiya Party-nominated former MP Shariful Islam Jinnah was rejected for failing to submit an asset declaration, while errors led to the cancellation of nominations of Selim Sarkar of Gono Odhikar Parishad and Rezaul Karim Talu, an independent candidate.
The nomination of Jamal Uddin of Islami Andolan Bangladesh was kept under suspension.
Meanwhile, the nominations of BNP-nominated Mir Shahe Alam and Jamaat-e-Islami-nominated Abul Azad Mohammad Shahaduzzaman were declared valid.
Jamaat leader Azad’s nomination rejected in Cox’s Bazar
In Cox’s Bazar-2, returning officer and deputy commissioner Abdul Mannan cancelled the nomination of Jamaat-e-Islami leader AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad following scrutiny.
According to officials, information about a contempt of court case against him was not disclosed in the affidavit. Mannan said Azad would have the opportunity to appeal against the decision.
“Due to discrepancies in the information stated in the nomination papers, the nominations of four candidates in two constituencies of the district have been cancelled. The candidates will get the opportunity to appeal,” he said.
Seven candidates submitted nomination papers for Cox’s Bazar-2. The nominations of Azad and independent candidate Golam Mawla were cancelled from the seat.
Cancellations across multiple districts
Elsewhere, election officials reported widespread cancellations across several constituencies following scrutiny of nomination papers.
In Chattogram, six nominations were cancelled in the Chattogram-2 (Fatikchhari) constituency, while a further three nominations were rejected in Chattogram-1.
Deputy commissioner and returning officer Zahidul Islam Miah said the valid candidates for this constituency were BNP-backed Sarwar Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nurul Amin, and Janatar Dal’s Golam Nawsher Ali.
The rejected candidates included independents Jinnat Akter and Ahmad Kabir, HM Ashraf bin Yaqub of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Shahzada Syed Saifuddin Ahmed and Osman Ali of the Bangladesh Supreme Party, and Rabiul Hasan of Gono Odhikar Parishad.
In Cumilla, election officials cancelled 16 nomination papers across multiple constituencies, making it one of the districts with the highest number of rejections during the scrutiny process.
In the Rangpur region, a total of six nominations were cancelled in the Rangpur-3 and Rangpur-4 constituencies.
In Khulna, election officials rejected three nominations in the Khulna-5 and Khulna-6 constituencies.
Meanwhile, one nomination paper each was cancelled in Pabna and Munshiganj, officials said.
Election timeline
Scrutiny of nomination papers, which began on 30 December, will continue until 4 January.
The period for filing appeals is from 5 January to 9 January, with appeals to be resolved between 10 and 18 January.
The last date for withdrawal of nominations is 20 January, while the final list of candidates will be published on 21 January.
Election campaigning will begin on 22 January and continue until 7:30am on 10 February.
