The Election Commission (EC) has announced the schedule for election to the reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament.
According to the schedule, deadline for submitting nomination papers is 21 April, and voting will take place on 12 May. Nomination papers must be submitted to the EC.
EC Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed made the announcement at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka’s Agargaon area.
Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on 22-23 April. Appeals will be accepted on 26 April, with hearings and disposal on 27-28 April. The deadline for withdrawal of nominations is 29 April, and election symbols will be allocated on 30 April.
Akhter said that Joint Secretary Moin Uddin Khan will serve as the Returning Officer for the reserved women’s seats, while Deputy Secretary Monir Hossain will serve as Assistant Returning Officer.
He further said that, based on the results of the general seats in the 13th parliament, the BNP‑led alliance will receive 36 reserved seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami‑led alliance 13 seats, and independent candidates 1 seat.
Earlier, the EC sent letters to political parties and independent members represented in the parliament to confirm their decisions on alliance participation. The BNP‑led alliance and Jamaat‑led alliance responded that they would contest together as before.
Meanwhile, six of the seven independent MPs have formed a separate alliance. However, Barrister Rumeen Farhana, MP for Brahmanbaria‑2, and Md Oli Ullah, MP for Barguna‑1, have not joined any alliance. According to law, they will exercise their voting rights individually.
Under the Reserved Women’s Seat Act, 2004, the distribution of reserved seats among political parties is determined proportionally based on the results of the general seats in Parliament.
