The district returning officer on Saturday declared valid the nomination papers of four candidates of National Citizen Party (NCP), a partner of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 10-party alliance, in four Dhaka constituencies.

Dhaka's Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer Md Rezaul Karim approved the nominations after scrutiny at the divisional commissioner’s office in Segunbagicha.

According to an NCP media release, the nominations of Nahid Islam for Dhaka-11, Nasiruddin Patwary for Dhaka-8, Javed Rasin for Dhaka-9 and Ariful Islam Adeeb for Dhaka-18 were found compliant with all requirements.

In Dhaka-11, comprising Rampura, Badda and Vatara, NCP candidate Nahid Islam will face BNP nominee MA Quayum, whose nomination was also validated on the same day. Jamaat-e-Islami’s Atiqur Rahman withdrew from the race following the formation of the alliance.

In the high-profile Dhaka-8 constituency, covering Motijheel, Shahbagh, Ramna, Paltan and Shahjahanpur, Jamaat nominee Advocate Helal Uddin stepped aside in support of NCP’s Nasiruddin.

BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas is contesting from the seat, alongside another notable contender, Meghna Alam of Gono Odhikar Parishad.

Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho, had earlier emerged as a prospective independent candidate in Dhaka-8 but was critically injured in a shooting in Bijoynagar on December 12 and later died on December 18.

While Inqilab Moncho did not nominate a replacement, Nasiruddin said he was inspired by Hadi’s political stance.

In Dhaka-9, comprising Sabujbagh, Khilgaon, Bashabo and Mugdha, Javed secured nomination validity for NCP. Tasnim Zara, initially nominated by NCP, resigned from the party over differences following the alliance with Jamaat. Her nomination was declared invalid, though an appeal is expected.

Tasnim Jara’s Dhaka-9 nomination scrapped, plans to appeal

BNP Central Executive Committee member Habibur Rashid Habib is contesting the election for the seat.

For Dhaka-18, covering Uttara, Turag and parts of Dhaka Cantonment, Ariful received nomination clearance after Nasiruddin shifted to Dhaka-8 post-alliance. BNP’s candidate is SM Jahangir Hossain.

As per the Election Commission schedule, December 29 was the last date for submitting nomination papers, while scrutiny is set to conclude by January 4. Appeals can be filed with the Election Commission between January 5 and 9. The 13th national parliamentary election and referendum are scheduled for February 12.