130 appeals to EC seeking review of nominations on final day
Twenty-two appeals submitted against valid candidates
Some 130 aspiring national election candidates lodged appeals with the Election Commission on Saturday, the fifth and final day of the electoral process. These appeals were either against the cancellation of their own nominations or sought the cancellation of nominations submitted by other candidates.
During the five-day process, which commenced on 5 December, a total of 561 candidates submitted appeals to the Election Commission, said Jahangir Alam, secretary of the EC, in a press conference held at the Agargaon election building on Saturday.
He said the commission will address and make decisions on these appeals in stages, starting from Sunday.
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On the final day of appeals, 22 appeals were submitted against candidates whose nominations were previously deemed valid.
Notably, Shammi Ahmed, the Awami League-nominated candidate for Barisal-4 seat, filed an appeal with the EC to annul the candidacy of independent candidate Pankaj Debnath for the same seat. The appeal, filed by Shammi Ahmed's representative Khaled Masood, alleges that Pankaj Debnath concealed information about assets in the affidavit.
In the Barisal-5 constituency, there are appeals between Awami League-nominated candidate Zahid Faruk and independent candidate Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, former mayor of the Barishal City Corporation. Both candidates have filed appeals seeking the cancellation of each other's candidature.
On Saturday, Sadiq Abdullah appealed for the cancellation of Zahid Faruk's candidature, alleging that Zahid concealed information about a case against him in the affidavit.
Conversely, on 6 December, Zahid Faruk filed an appeal against Sadiq Abdullah, accusing him of providing false information in the affidavit.
On Saturday, independent candidate M Moniruzzaman Monir, contesting in the Jhalakathi-1 constituency, submitted an appeal requesting the cancellation of the candidature of Awami League candidate Shahjahan Omar, who was expelled from the BNP.
In the initial days of the electoral process, 42 appeals were lodged on the first day, followed by 141 on the second day, 155 on the third day, and 93 on the fourth day. On the concluding day, 130 additional appeals were filed. In total, 561 candidates appealed to the Election Commission over the five-day period.
