The Election Commission on Saturday cleared the way for more 44 previously rejected candidates to return to the electoral race after hearing their appeal petitions.

Besides, the EC cancelled the candidacy of BNP’s Monzurul Ahsan Munshi and upheld that of National Citizen Party (NCP) candidate Abul Hasnat, popularly known as Hasnat Abdullah, in Cumilla-4.

The Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, heard appeal petitions filed by both candidates against each other and passed its order.

The EC accepted the appeal filed by Hasnat against the candidature of Monzurul Ahsan related to loan default, but turned down the appeal filed by Monzurul Ahsan, declaring the candidacy of Hasnat valid for the upcoming national election scheduled for February 12 next.

On Saturday, the EC, that acts as the electoral appeal tribunal heard more than 100 appeals filed by aggrieved persons at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city. Of them, the Commission accepted 45 petitions including one against (the validity of Monzurul Ahsan Munshi), while rejecting 37 other petitions, and kept 21 pending to be settled on Sunday (the last day).

Among the pending petitions, many appeals related to dual citizenship issue as the Commission is likely to pass a similar order for all such petitions on Sunday.

With the 44 aspirants who regained candidacy, some 400 candidates returned to the electoral race in the last eight days after the EC started hearing of the appeals filed by aggrieved persons and organizations challenging the decisions of the returning officers over the acceptance and cancellation of nomination papers during the scrutiny.

The Commission will settle all the 645 appeals petitions by Sunday (January 18).

According to the EC, a total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers to contest the upcoming national election from the country’s 300 constituencies by the December 29 deadline.

After scrutiny, returning officers declared 1,842 nomination papers valid and rejected 723, triggering the 645 appeals.