A total of 53 candidates, including Jamaat-e-Islami’s Abdul Haque in the Dhaka-2 constituency and Yusuf Sohel in Cumilla-3, have regained their candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary election.
With this, more than 200 appellants have so far had their candidacy restored, said Md Ruhul Amin Mallik, public relations director at Election Commission, after the fourth day of appeal hearings.
According to EC, 53 appeals were accepted following hearings on 70 cases on Tuesday, while 15 appeals against the cancellation of nomination papers were rejected.
Meanwhile, two appeals filed against the acceptance of nomination papers in the Noakhali-5 and Rajshahi-5 seats were also rejected, meaning the candidacy of those two candidates will remain valid.
Hearings on appeals numbered 281 to 380 will be held on Wednesday.
Candidates who regained candidacy
Independent Rahimul Islam Bulbul (Panchagarh-2), Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Muniruzzaman (Cumilla-3), Labour Party’s Osman Gani (Chattogram-10), Labour Party’s Nasima Nazneen Sarkar (Chandpur-2), Jatiya Party’s Sarkar Mohammad Salauddin (Dhaka-12), Khelafat Majlis’s Mahbub Alam (Barishal-5), Islamic Front’s Mohammad Shahjalal (Dhaka-12), Independent Arfana Begum (Naogaon-4), Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis’s Abdur Rouf Sarkar (Sirajganj-3), Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis’s Nazmul Alam (Feni-1), AB Party’s Rashida Akhtar (Chandpur-2), Islamic Front’s SM Sarwar (Dhaka-8), BASD’s Khalekuzzaman (Dhaka-13), JASAD’s Abul Kalam Azad (Barishal-2) and Gano Odhikar Parishad’s Belal Uddin (Chattogram-7) were among those who regained their respective candidacies.
They were followed by Nizam-e-Islam Party’s Abu Taher Khan (Mymensingh-3), independent Jewel Sarkar (Tangail-6), independent Kazi Enayet Ullah (Dhaka-17), independent Zulfar Naim Mostafa (Rajshahi-5), independent Khandaker Shahidul Islam (Rangpur-6), independent Abu Kayes Sikder (Brahmanbaria-6), Jatiya Party’s Akbar Hossain (Bhola-1), Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Mahmudul Hasan (Dhaka-12), independent Jinnat Akbar (Chattogram-10), independent Morshed Alam (Mymensingh-11), independent Rabiul Islam (Dhaka-13), independent Nuruzzaman (Kushtia-1) and Jatiya Party’s Lutfur Rahman (Panchagarh-2).
Others include independent Utpal Biswas (Gopalganj-2), Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis’s Noman Ahmed Sadiq (Habiganj-2), Jatiya Party’s Golam Mostafa Kamal (Cumilla-9), Islamic Front’s Abdus Salam (Cumilla-2), Independent Zakaria Pintu (Pabna-4), Gono Odhikar Parishad’s Mizanur Rahman (Dhaka-13), independent Reyazul Islam (Madaripur-2), independent Farhan Sajid (Jashore-4), independent Mohammad Jahangir Bhuiyan (Chattogram-11), Aam Janatar Dal’s Zakir Hossain (Gazipur-4), independent Asha Moni (Thakurgaon-3), independent Mostakim Raja Chowdhury (Sylhet-3), Jatiya Party’s Ayub Hossain (Kishoreganj-6), independent Ismail Hossain (Dhaka-18) and independent Rezaul Karim (Narayanganj-3).
The remaining candidates are Communist Party’s Mihir Kumar Ghosh (Gaibandha-2), Communist Party’s Anwar Hossain (Sirajganj-2), Communist Party’s Matiur Rahman (Sirajganj-5), Communist Party’s Kamal Hossain (Munshiganj-3), Communist Party’s Firoz Alam (Dhaka-4), Communist Party’s Abdur Rahman (Munshiganj-1), Communist Party’s Tridip Kumar Saha (Dhaka-8) and Communist Party’s Tofazzal Hossain Mostafa (Dhaka-5).
Candidates whose nominations remain cancelled
BNP’s TS Aiyub (Jashore-4), independent Jalal Uddin Mondol (Joypurhat-1), independent Gazi Mahbubur Rahman (Narail-1), independent Mahmud Hossain (Pirojpur-2), independent SM Mujibur Rahman (Satkhira-1), independent Hosneara Begum (Jamalpur-5), independent Saleh Ahmed Sajon (Habiganj-4) and independent Isfa Khairul Haque (Rajshahi-5) are among those whose nominations remain cancelled.
Others include independent Tanvir Ahmed Rana (Mymensingh-6), JSD’s Kamal Uddin Patwary (Noakhali-5), Liberal Democratic Party’s Ayakub Ali (Chattogram-12), independent Md Shahabuddin in Rajshahi-3 and Rajshahi-2, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Muhsin Ahmed (Narsingdi-2) and independent Sipon Bhuiya (Gopalganj-2).
After returning officers cancelled the nomination papers, the number of valid candidates stood at 1,842, with 723 cancellations. 203 candidates regained eligibility through appeal hearings over the four days starting Saturday, with the total number of valid candidates now risen to 2,044.
Appeal hearings will continue until 18 January.
According to the election schedule, 20 January is the last date for the withdrawal of candidacy. The final list of candidates will be published, and electoral symbols allocated the following day.
They will then contest the polls scheduled for 12 February. Voting in the Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 constituencies, out of the total 300 seats, has been suspended until further instructions.
