Somo Odhikar Party fields one candidate in election, chairman misses nomination deadline by two minutes
Party chairman Sushanta Chandra Barman had intended to contest from the Dhaka-6 constituency, but the returning officer declined to accept the papers in line with the election law
Bangladesh Somo Adhikar Party, a newly registered political party, failed to submit most of its nomination papers for the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election after missing the Election Commission's (EC) deadline, citing delays in registration and limited preparation time.
Although the party planned to field candidates in 26 constituencies, only one nomination was submitted within the stipulated time. Subrata Mondal filed his nomination from the Khulna-1 constituency.
Party chairman Sushanta Chandra Barman said he was unable to submit his own nomination after arriving just two minutes past the 5pm deadline on 29 December. He had intended to contest from the Dhaka-6 constituency, but the returning officer declined to accept the papers in line with the election law.
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The party received the "inkpot and pen" symbol after its registration with the EC, but Barman said the registration certificate was issued 12 days after the election schedule was announced, leaving little time for preparation due to intervening holidays.
He said the party had around 26 prospective candidates, all except for one missed the deadline by a few minutes and were unable to submit nominations. He added that clearer EC communication on the strict cut-off time could help prevent such situations, while noting that the party still views having one candidate in the race as a starting point.
As the party's registration came after a prolonged legal process, with the party securing a favourable court verdict on 3 July this year and receiving registration from the EC on 24 December 2025, Barman maintained that the delay affected the party's ability to submit nomination papers, but emphasised that the party plans to expand its organisation and contest more seats in future elections.
The election schedule was announced on 11 December, with nominations due by 5pm on 29 December, scrutiny running from 30 December to 4 January, and voting set for 12 February.
