Independent candidate Tasnim Jara has expressed her intention to contest the Dhaka-9 seat under the “Football” election symbol in the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election
Zara has regained her candidacy in Dhaka-9 constituency (Khilgaon, Sabujbagh and Mugda).
After an appeal hearing on Saturday morning regarding the cancellation of her nomination, the Election Commission (EC) declared her nomination valid.
Confirming the acceptance of her appeal in a Facebook post, Tasnim Jara wrote, “Nomination valid. I will participate as a supported independent candidate in the upcoming election for Dhaka-9.”
On 3 January, the district returning officer had declared her nomination invalid, leading Zara to file an appeal on 5 January.
The reason for the initial invalidation was explained by Jara, who said that, according to regulations, independent candidates must collect signatures from one percent of voters.
The EC verified the signatures of 10 randomly chosen voters and confirmed the authenticity of eight, while two others were found to be valid but not voters of Dhaka-9. The commission had not previously had access to the voter numbers of these individuals.
After her candidacy was validated, Jara, a former leader of the National People’s Party (NCP), thanked the Election Commission and said, “Our appeal has been accepted by the Election Commission. I had submitted my nomination paper as an independent candidate for Dhaka-9, and it has been declared valid.”
Describing the time between the invalidation of her nomination and the appeal as “a unique experience,” she added, “Over the past week, I have gone through a completely different experience. I have received many well wishes from both home and abroad. When I spoke with people on the streets, many expressed their disappointment and sorrow. Thank you to everyone for supporting me in this fight.”
Tasnim Jara also revealed that she would be applying for the football symbol as her chosen symbol for the upcoming elections.
On 29 December, Jara submitted her nomination paper to the Election Commission with signatures from nearly 5,000 voters to contest the Dhaka-9 seat. Following her alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami and other like-minded parties, she resigned from her position as senior joint secretary of the NCP on 27 December due to the resulting controversy.
