The Election Commission on Friday restored the candidacies of 18 more previously rejected aspirants, while upholding the candidacies of four others, including Sabira Sultana, the BNP-nominated candidate for Jashore-2 in the upcoming national election scheduled for February 12 next.
The EC that acts as the electoral appeal tribunal made the decisions hearing a total of 43 appeal petitions filed against the decisions of the returning officers over the acceptance or cancellation of the nomination papers.
Besides, 17 other previously rejected candidates couldn’t return to the race as the EC turned down the petitions to regain their candidacy.
The petitions filed by four invalid candidates, including two BNP aspirants for Sherpur-2 and Sirajganj-6 and Jamaat aspirant for Jashore-2 were kept pending to be settled later.
The Commission, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, on Friday settled 39 petitions and kept four petitions pending.
With the 18 aspirants who regained candidacy, a total of 353 candidates returned to the electoral race in the last seven days since Saturday last (January 10) the day the hearing started.
The Commission that acts as the electoral appeal tribunal so far heard some 500 petitions out of 645 appeals filed by aggrieved persons, challenging the decisions of the returning officers over acceptance and cancellation of nomination papers.
Among the four candidates who remain valid, the Election Commission upheld the candidacy of BNP nominated Sabira Sultana for Jashore-2, rejecting the appeal petition filed by independent candidate Jahurul Islam.
The EC , also upheld the candidacy of independent Arif Ul Islam Mridha in Narsingdi-3, rejecting the petition filed by BNP nominated Monjur Elahi.
The four pending petitions were filed by two BNP invalid aspirants Mohammad Fahim Chowdhury (Sherpur-2) and Shafiqul Islam (Sirajganj-6), Jamaat invalid aspirant Mohammad Mosleh Uddin Farid (Jashore-2) and invalid independent aspirant Azad Chowdhury (Chattogram-8).
Of the appeals, the petitions filed by Fahim Chowdhury and Mosleh Uddin are scheduled to be settled on Saturday, while the petitions filed by Shafiqul Islam and Azad Chowdhury on Sunday, the last day of hearing.
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The EC on Saturday last (January 10) started hearing of the appeal petitions filed by aggrieved persons and organisations against the decisions of the returning officers over the acceptance and cancellations of nomination papers during the scrutiny.
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 others.