43 candidates regain candidacy as 8th day of appeal begins with fracas

Although the eighth day of hearings on appeals against Election Commission decisions began with shouting and commotion among candidates, after hearing 112 appeals, 76 candidates regained or retained their candidacies, including NCP candidate Hasnat Abdullah. Meanwhile, the nominations of 15 candidates, including BNP candidate Manjurul Ahsan Munshi, were cancelled.

Yesterday (17 January), the Election Commission held hearings on appeals for the eighth consecutive day at the Election Building. A total of 112 appeals were heard – 100 scheduled for the day and 12 pending from earlier. Nineteen appeals were kept pending for today, the final day of hearings. In addition, two appellants were absent.

On the eighth day of appeal hearings, Manjum Ali, the Jatiya Party candidate for Rangpur-1 whose nomination had been cancelled on the first day of hearings, regained his candidacy. His lawyer requested a reconsideration yesterday and submitted updated information regarding his dual citizenship. The EC stated that his application was accepted on that basis.

However, the Election Commission said that all appeals related to dual citizenship, including those from previous days and the eighth day, would remain pending and decisions would be delivered on Sunday. Almost all of the 19 pending appeals relate to dual citizenship issues.

Abdul Awal Mintu calls lawyer 'bloody citizen'

During a hearing on an appeal against the cancellation of his nomination, BNP candidate for Feni-2 Abdul Awal Mintu lost his temper and insulted a lawyer by calling him "bloody citizen," prompting a strong reaction from NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah.

During the morning hearing, while NCP lawyer and leader Jahirul Islam Musa was making submissions in an academic manner regarding dual citizenship, Abdul Awal Mintu suddenly charged toward Musa at the end of the discussion and verbally abused him, calling him a "bloody citizen."

The commotion occurred during the hearing of an appeal challenging the validity of the nomination of BNP's valid candidate for Manikganj-3, Afroza Khanam, on grounds of dual citizenship. Toward the end of explanations, the Election Commission adjourned the hearing for half an hour around noon. As soon as the full commission, led by the Chief Election Commissioner, left the dais, lawyers from both sides gathered in front of the stage and became engaged in heated arguments.

At that moment, NCP candidate for Comilla-4, Abul Hasnat (Hasnat Abdullah), who was present in the auditorium for another appeal hearing, became agitated and objected to Abdul Mintu's outburst. The situation quickly escalated.

When lawyers escorted Abdul Awal Mintu away, his son Tabith Awal spoke with Hasnat Abdullah in an attempt to calm the situation. Law enforcement agencies later brought the situation under control.

When the hearing resumed after the break, Hasnat Abdullah lodged a complaint with the commission, stating that BNP candidate Abdul Awal Mintu had used obscene language, calling him a "bloody citizen," and had also attempted to use force. He demanded a ruling from the commission. At the same time, another lawyer alleged that supporters of BNP candidate Fahim Chowdhury from a Kishoreganj constituency had assaulted his client in front of the EC headquarter after Friday's (16 January) hearing.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said, "We have heard about the incident. We consider it undesirable. We hope no one will repeat such incidents." He advised filing a complaint with the election investigation committee regarding the incident.

Badsha Mia files appeals against seven candidates in Lalmonirhat

A total of eight candidates submitted nominations in the Lalmonirhat-2 constituency, all of which were declared valid by the local returning officer. However, Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) candidate Badsha Mia alone filed complaints with the Election Commission's appellate division against the other seven candidates, including BNP and Jamaat candidates, allegedly in an attempt to have them removed.

Yesterday, Badsha Mia and the other seven candidates appeared at the appeal hearing, where the Election Commission's appellate division declared all candidates valid. Lawyer Anwar Hossain Reza, representing the seven candidates, said that Badsha Mia had filed the appeals with fabricated allegations in a conspiratorial attempt to unlawfully cancel their nominations—an act of harassment unprecedented in the country. He demanded a fine of Tk1 crore against Badsha Mia for such harassment.

Khagrachhari's Jiruna Tripura regains candidacy under "special consideration"

Independent candidate and former district council chairman Jiruna Tripura regained her candidacy in the Khagrachhari constituency under "special consideration."

As an independent candidate, she was required to show the support of 4,741 voters but submitted signatures from only 613 voters. Due to this significant shortfall, the returning officer had cancelled her candidacy. However, after a hearing, the commission approved her application under "special consideration."

After regaining her candidacy, Jiruna Tripura said that, due to the hilly terrain, she did not have sufficient time to collect the required number of supporter signatures. She added that even after bringing supporters during scrutiny, time ran out while standing in line, which led the returning officer to cancel her nomination.