Following a High Court verdict, the Election Commission (EC) has published a gazette declaring BNP candidate Sarwar Alamgir the winner of Chattogram-2 constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
The notification paves way for his swearing-in as a Member of Parliament (MP). A process is currently underway to send a formal letter to the Secretariat for subsequent proceedings.
Although Alamgir emerged victorious in the polls held on 12 February, the publication of his gazette remained stalled for five months due to legal complications regarding his candidacy.
All legal barriers were removed on Thursday when a High Court bench comprising justices Fahmida Quader and Md Asif Hassan ruled his candidacy valid. Earlier, during the scrutiny of nomination papers, the returning officer had declared his application valid.
However, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for the same seat, Muhammad Nurul Amin, filed an appeal with the EC alleging that Alamgir was a loan defaulter.
Based on the Jamaat candidate’s appeal, the commission cancelled Alamgir’s candidacy, leading him to seek recourse in the High Court. The High Court subsequently stayed the EC’s decision and directed that he be allowed to contest the election with “Sheaf of Paddy” symbol.
When an application was filed with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against this order, the court ruled that he could participate in the election, but the final result would remain stayed until a conclusive legal resolution was reached.
It may be noted that the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division had previously cancelled the candidacy of Aslam Chowdhury, BNP’s winning candidate for the Chattogram-4 constituency, for being a loan defaulter.
