EC to start nomination appeal hearings on 10 January
The EC has declared 1,842 nomination papers valid for the upcoming election across 300 constituencies, while rejecting 723, disqualifying about 28% of aspiring candidates.
The Election Commission (EC) has decided to begin hearings on appeals filed against decisions made by returning officers for the upcoming general election on 10 January.
These hearings will be held in the auditorium (Basement 2) of the commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka, according to a notice issued yesterday (4 January).
According to the notice, candidates aggrieved by returning officers' decisions to accept or cancel nomination papers may file an appeal with the commission within five days of the completion of nomination scrutiny, which ended yesterday.
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The EC yesterday declared 1,842 nomination papers valid for the election across 300 constituencies, while rejecting 723, disqualifying about 28% of aspiring candidates.
Appeals must be submitted in memorandum form, including one set of original documents and six sets of photocopies.
To facilitate the submission of appeals through a regional booth-based system, the EC has divided the country into 10 regions and set up designated booths. Candidates have to submit their appeals at the booth assigned to their respective region.
The booths are designated as follows: Rangpur region: Booth 1 (constituencies 1-33); Rajshahi region: Booth 2 (constituencies 34-72); Khulna region: Booth 3 (constituencies 73-108); Barishal region: Booth 4 (constituencies 109-129); Mymensingh region: Booth 5 (constituencies 130-167); Dhaka region: Booth 6 (constituencies 168-208); Faridpur region: Booth 7 (constituencies 209-223); Sylhet region: Booth 8 (constituencies 224-242); Cumilla region: Booth 9 (constituencies 243-277); and Chattogram region: Booth 10 (constituencies 278-300).
The EC said hearings will begin daily at 10am. Hearing dates based on appeal numbers are as follows: 10 January: Appeal Nos 1-70; 11 January: Appeal Nos 71-140; 12 January: Appeal Nos 141-210; 13 January: Appeal Nos 211-280; 14 January: Appeal Nos 281-350; 15 January: Appeal Nos 351-420; 16 January: Appeal Nos 421-490; 17 January: Appeal Nos 491-560; and 18 January: Appeal Nos 561 and remaining appeals.
After the hearings, appeal outcomes will be displayed on monitors, and PDF copies of the verdicts will be emailed to the people concerned.
In addition, copies of the verdicts can be collected from the reception desk of the commission building on scheduled dates. Verdicts for hearings held from 10-12 January will be distributed on 12 January; for 13-15 January on 15 January; and for 16-18 January on 18 January.
The EC said the schedule may be revised depending on the situation and the number of appeals.
