A legal dispute has emerged over the gazette notification for a reserved women’s seat of the National Citizen Party (NCP), as candidate Monira Sharmin moved to halt the declaration of fellow party leader Nusrat Tabassum as the elected member.
The application was submitted to the returning officer on Sunday afternoon, seeking a stay on the gazette until a pending High Court petition is resolved, officials said.
Returning Officer and Election Commission Joint Secretary Md Moin Uddin Khan confirmed receiving the application and said a decision on the legal feasibility of withholding the gazette would be taken on Monday.
The dispute follows the cancellation of Monira Sharmin’s nomination on 23 April, with her appeal rejected on 28 April. She subsequently filed a writ petition with a High Court division bench, with the hearing scheduled for 4 May.
She said as the NCP’s original nominee, the Election Commission should wait for the court’s directive before proceeding.
She said issuing the gazette for Nusrat Tabassum before the ruling would cause “irreparable loss”.
The nomination process faced complications for both candidates. Her candidacy came under question on 21 April over a legal requirement related to retirement from a state-owned bank within the past three years.
On the same day, Nusrat Tabassum, backed by the Jamaat alliance, submitted her nomination papers at 4:19 pm, 19 minutes after the deadline. Her nomination was initially rejected due to the delay but was later declared valid following a High Court order.
On Saturday, the returning officer confirmed her eligibility after scrutiny.
Election Commission officials said the next steps depend on the High Court ruling on Monday.
If the court upholds Monira Sharmin’s candidacy, a vote will be held within the alliance to choose between the two NCP leaders.
If the petition is dismissed, Nusrat Tabassum will be directly gazetted as the Member of Parliament for the reserved seat.
