The Election Commission (EC) has decided to publish a gazette declaring Nusrat Tabassum as an elected member of parliament for the remaining vacant seat of the 13th National Assembly.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Mashud confirmed the decision to the media on Monday, bringing an end to weeks of legal and procedural uncertainty surrounding the constituency.
The development means that 49 out of 50 seats in the 13th parliament are now finalised. Earlier, 36 members of the BNP-led alliance, 12 members of the Jamaat-led alliance, and one independent candidate had already taken their oaths.
The path to the parliament was anything but smooth for the aspiring lawmakers of this constituency.
On April 21, Monira Sharmin of the National Citizen’s Party (NCP), a component of the Jamaat alliance, submitted her nomination papers. However, the returning officer cancelled her candidacy during scrutiny on the grounds that three years had not elapsed since her departure from government service. Her subsequent appeal to the EC was rejected, after which she moved to the court.
Taking advantage of the legal vacuum, Nusrat Tabassum submitted her nomination papers after the designated deadline. While the returning officer initially refused to accept them, a court order paved the way for her candidacy, and her nomination was later declared valid.
The final list of candidates published on Sunday included Nusrat Tabassum’s name. With no other valid candidates in the fray and Tabassum choosing not to withdraw her nomination by the deadline, the EC had no choice but to declare her elected unopposed.
“It is a straightforward legal matter,” Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Mashud told reporters.
He elaborated: “Following the court’s order, we accepted Nusrat’s nomination papers. On Saturday, the Returning Officer validated them. By Sunday, she had not withdrawn. According to the law, we have decided to declare her elected and publish the gazette.”
While the commission is moving forward with the gazette notification, Commissioner Mashud indicated that the door remains open for any further judicial intervention.
“We will implement whatever the court orders,” he said. “As of now, no new order has arrived. Legally, the gazette should be published today. But if the court later orders us to cancel this gazette, we will have to comply. We do not see any complication at this moment.”
The gazette notification marks the final step in filling the 13th parliament’s composition, though legal experts note that the matter could still be challenged in higher courts.
