Majority of candidates regain candidacy in first phase of appeals

Following the rejection of nomination papers ahead of the upcoming general election, the Election Commission has restored the candidacy of 51 aspirants, including independent candidate Tasnim Jara, Jamaat-e-Islami leader AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, and Rashed Prodhan, spokesperson for the National Democratic Party (Jagpa), contesting Panchagarh-1 and Panchagarh-2, after allowing their appeals.

Their nomination papers had earlier been rejected by returning officers. The candidates later filed appeals with the Election Commission, which were accepted.

The Election Commission began hearing appeals today (10 January) against decisions of returning officers over the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for the upcoming general election, scheduled for 12 February.

In the first phase, the Election Commission called 70 candidates today. Of them, 51 candidates had their nominations restored, while appeals filed by 16 candidates were rejected, and three remained pending.

Dhaka-9

In the Dhaka-9 constituency, the nomination of independent candidate Tasnim Jara was rejected by the returning officer during initial scrutiny due to complications related to the required signatures of 1% of voters. Tasnim Jara filed an appeal against the decision and regained her candidacy at the appeal hearing.

"Many people at home and abroad have conveyed their best wishes, while many were disheartened after my candidature was initially rejected," she said.

She expressed her gratitude to everyone and said she would contest the election as an independent candidate, adding that her preferred electoral symbol is the football.

Cox's Bazar-2

Cox's Bazar-2 is considered one of the key constituencies of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, where the party's central assistant secretary general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad is contesting the election.

His nomination was rejected during initial scrutiny for failing to disclose information about a contempt of court case filed against him. However, Hamidur Rahman Azad filed an appeal against the decision and regained his candidacy at the appeal hearing.

Rangpur-1

Meanwhile, in Rangpur-1—widely regarded as a stronghold of the Jatiya Party—the nomination of the party's candidate Md Manjum Ali was rejected due to his dual citizenship.

He later filed an appeal seeking restoration of his candidature. However, the Election Commission rejected his appeal today.

During the appeal hearing, Manjum Ali told the Election Commission that he had been unaware of the citizenship issue while studying abroad as a student and therefore failed to attach the relevant information while submitting his nomination papers.

He claimed that supporters of the Jatiya Party in Rangpur-1 were eager to vote for him and alleged that his disqualification was part of a conspiracy by the BNP.

Jatiya Party to move court

Jatiya Party Secretary General Shamim Haider Patwary said the party had filed appeals against the rejection of 25 nomination papers, of which hearings for 12 were held today.

"Of those, the Election Commission allowed appeals in 10 cases, while the remaining two were rejected," he said.

"The party will move the higher court over the two rejected appeals," he added.

"The Election Commission is conducting the hearings in a sufficiently neutral manner. I hope the commission will maintain the same neutrality during the election campaign and polling process," he said.

Brahmanbaria-1 nomination overturned

In the Brahmanbaria-1 constituency, the nomination of independent candidate and former MP Syed AK Ekramuzzaman was initially accepted by the returning officer. However, the BNP-nominated candidate MA Hannan filed an appeal seeking the rejection of his candidature. The Election Commission allowed the appeal, resulting in the rejection of Ekramuzzaman's nomination.

Ekramuzzaman was elected as a member of parliament as an independent candidate in the 2024 election. He later joined the Awami League. Prior to that, he had held a party position in the BNP. Following what party leaders described as the fall of the Awami League after the 5 August mass uprising, Ekramuzzaman rejoined the BNP.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission allowed four appeals filed by candidates of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, including Md Nur Uddin (Chattogram-11) and Anwar Hossain (Dhaka-18). One appeal was rejected. Their nomination papers had earlier been rejected in 39 cases.

EC clarifies appeal numbers

On the first day of the hearings, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and the four other election commissioners were present.

Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, "A total of 52 appeals were initially allowed, while 15 were rejected. Two applicants were absent during the hearings and were also included in the list of rejected appeals. In addition, three appeals remain pending."

Election officials later said that one candidature was overturned after an opposing appeal was allowed, bringing the final number of restored candidacies to 51.

Next steps in election process

More than 2,500 nomination papers were submitted by party-backed and independent candidates to contest the election. Following scrutiny conducted between 30 December and 4 January, returning officers rejected the candidacy of 723 aspirants.

According to the election schedule, the deadline for withdrawal of candidature after disposal of appeals is 20 January. Electoral symbols will be allocated on 21 January, election campaigns will begin on 22 January, and voting will be held on 12 February.

The Election Commission said the results of the hearings will be displayed on monitors, while PDF copies will be emailed to the concerned parties. Copies can also be collected from the reception desk of the Election Commission building. The appeal hearings will continue until 18 January.