United News of Bangladesh

Independent candidate Tasnim Jara has regained the validity of her nomination for the Dhaka-9 constituency in the 13th national parliamentary election after her appeal was accepted by the Election Commission on Saturday. Her nomination was earlier declared invalid during the preliminary scrutiny phase. However, following a hearing on appeals seeking validation of candidacies at the Election Commission office in Agargaon, Jara’s nomination was reinstated, clearing the way for her to contest the election as an independent candidate. Read More:  Tasnim Jara calls for easier election process for independent candidates Reacting immediately after the decision, Jara thanked the Election Commission for accepting her appeal. She also expressed gratitude to supporters at home and abroad who stood by her over the past few days. Jara said she has initially expressed her intention to contest the election with the football as her electoral symbol, adding that the final decision on the symbol rests with the Commission. Earlier, on January 3, the district returning officer announced after scrutiny that discrepancies were found in the signatures of voters supporting Jara’s nomination, which is mandatory for independent candidates. Of the signatures verified, two were found not to be voters of the Dhaka-9 constituency. Citing electoral rules, the returning officer had declared her nomination invalid. Commenting on the issue at the time, Jara said many voters are unaware of their voter numbers or specific constituencies, and technical problems in the Commission’s voter verification systems led to the discrepancies. She had then announced her decision to appeal against the ruling. Following the appeal hearing, Jara ultimately regained the validity of her candidacy for the Dhaka-9 seat. Read More: Tasnim Jara’s Dhaka-9 nomination scrapped, plans to appeal Initially, she was set to contest the election as a candidate of the National Citizen Party (NCP). However, after the party joined an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded groups, Jara resigned from the party and announced her decision to run as an independent candidate. In Dhaka-9, Jara will face BNP candidate Habibur Rashid Habib and NCP candidate Javed Rasin.