Scrutiny of nomination papers for parliamentary polls ends today

The scrutiny of nomination papers for candidates contesting the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election will conclude today (4 January).

After completing the process through returning officers in all 300 constituencies, the Election Commission (EC) will publish the final nationwide tally of accepted and rejected nomination papers.

Today marks the final day of scrutiny. The EC will subsequently release consolidated data on valid and invalid nominations across the country.

Candidates aggrieved by decisions of returning or assistant returning officers may file appeals with the Election Commission from 5 January to 9 January. Appeal hearings and disposal are scheduled from 10 January to 18 January.

As in previous elections, special benches and booths will be set up at the Election Commission Secretariat for the appeal hearings, which will be conducted by the chief election commissioner and other commissioners.

According to the election schedule, the deadline for withdrawal of candidacy is 20 January, while symbols will be allocated on 21 January. Voting will be held on 12 February, from 7:30am to 4:30pm, through uninterrupted balloting.

Regarding candidates whose nominations were rejected during scrutiny, Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar told The Business Standard that any injustice faced by candidates would be corrected through the appeal process.

"Returning officers have rejected nominations, citing specific reasons. During appeals, the validity of those grounds will be examined. If the reasons are found to be unjustified, nominations will be accepted in accordance with the law," he said.

Addressing allegations of technical difficulties in verifying the required 1% voter support for independent candidates, he said that if candidates can prove they were adversely affected due to data unavailability, the issue would be given due consideration during appeal hearings.

Meanwhile, 238 candidates submitted nomination papers in 20 parliamentary constituencies under the Dhaka metropolitan area.

Of them, 161 nominations were declared valid, 81 were rejected, and one decision remains pending. One candidate has already withdrawn. At least 62 nominations were rejected in the Dhaka constituencies numbered 1 to 15.

In Dhaka-13, six of the 11 candidates were declared valid. The valid candidates are: independent candidate Sohel Rana; Mamunul Haque of Khelafat Majlish; Bobby Hajjaj of BNP; Murad Hossain of Islami Andolan Bangladesh; Md Shahabuddin of Bangladesh Minority Janata Party; and Fatema Akter Munia of Insaniyat Biplob.

The nominations of Mamunul Haque and Bobby Hajjaj were declared valid after corrections to professional information and citizenship-related discrepancies.

In Dhaka-15, the nomination of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman was declared valid. BNP candidate Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton also received clearance, while the nomination of Ahmed Sajedul Haque Rubel of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) was rejected. Of the nine candidates in the constituency, five were accepted, three rejected, and one decision remains pending.

Returning Officer for Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-15, Md Yunus Al,i told The Business Standard that candidates whose nominations were rejected are being provided with written orders.

"If certified copies of those orders are submitted to the Election Commission through appeals, the cases will be reviewed afresh," he said.

He added that many nominations were rejected due to missing signatures, absence of income tax payment receipts, or failure to attach certificates for the latest assessment year. However, if such deficiencies are legally rectifiable, they may be reconsidered during appeals.

According to EC data, a total of 2,569 nomination papers were submitted nationwide across 300 constituencies by 29 December.

Scrutiny began on 30 December 2025 and will conclude today. Once reports from returning officers are received, the Election Commission will officially announce the final number of rejected nominations.