EC suspends Nangalkot upazila polls amid legal dispute over nomination
The Upazila Parishad elections in Cumilla's Nangalkot, scheduled for the first phase of polls on 8 May (Wednesday), has been suspended a day before it was set to take place.
The polls were postponed on Monday (6 May) evening in a notice signed by Election Commission Deputy Secretary (Election Management-2) Md Atiar Rahman.
As per the notice, Saleha Begum, a female vice-chairman candidate, had filed a writ petition (No. 4734/2024) in the High Court seeking validation of her nomination paper for the post of female vice-chairman in the Nangalkot Upazila Parishad election. On 25 April, the HC Division ordered her enlistment in the list of valid candidates and the allocation of a symbol.
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However, the Election Commission (EC) challenged the High Court order in the Appellate Division of the apex court. Following a "No Order" issued on 6 May, the EC postponed the election of all posts in the Nangalkot Upazila Parishad until further notice.
Munir Hossain Khan, senior district election officer of Cumilla, said the letter of election suspension was received by mail at night. The public notice about the suspension of the election was issued around 11pm.
A total of 152 upazilas across the country are set to go to polls in the first phase on 8 May as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission.
The elections for 492 upazilas will be held in four phases, with the second phase scheduled for 23 May, the third on 29 May, and the fourth on 5 June.
On Wednesday, the first phase of the 6th Upazila Parishad elections was scheduled to take place in the Nangalkot, Laksam, Manoharganj, and Meghna upazilas of Cumilla. Although the Nangalkot upazila parishad elections have been suspended, the elections in the rest of the upazilas will continue as planned.
