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Published : 18 Jan 2026, 01:10 AM
The Election Commission (EC) has cleared 45 appeals on the eighth day of hearings challenging the decisions made by returning officers during the scrutiny of nominations for the parliamentary election.
In Saturday’s session, 43 individuals regained their candidacy, while two others saw theirs revoked.
Across eight days of hearings to date, 396 candidates have been reinstated, and four nominations have been cancelled.
The hearings, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, took place from morning until evening at Agargaon’s Nirbachan Bhaban.
Sunday marks the final day of the appeal process, with around 50 appeals remaining alongside pending decisions.
NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO TRUST EC: JATIYA PARTY
Jatiya Party Secretary General Shameem Haider Patwary says there is no alternative but to place trust in the Election Commission.
Speaking to journalists at the EC media centre on Saturday, he said: "The Election Commission is a constitutional body; we truly have no alternative but to rely on them."
He noted that around 40 appeals from Jatiya Party candidates have been heard so far, with approximately 35 granted.
The Jatiya Party leader, however, raised concerns over the electoral environment, saying: "We are seeing a severe lack of a level playing field. Altercations have occurred within the commission’s corridors and on the streets in front of police. If this office itself is not fully secure, how can the entire country be?"
2 FEMALE CANDIDATES RETURN TO RACE
Among those reinstated is Jiruna Tripura, an independent candidate for the Khagrachhari seat. Her nomination was initially rejected by the returning officer after she provided only 613 voter signatures instead of the required 4,741.
Following the successful appeal, she expressed her satisfaction, explaining: "Being a hilly region, I did not have sufficient time to collect the required number of signatures."
Additionally, Farzana Farid, an independent candidate for the Jamalpur-3 constituency, also regained her candidacy after appealing against the initial rejection.
SATURDAY’S APPEAL OUTCOMES
EC spokesperson Ruhul Amin Mollick said that 112 applications were heard on Saturday.
The commission accepted 43 appeals against rejected nominations and two appeals against accepted nominations (resulting in cancellations).
Furthermore, 37 appeals were dismissed, nine were withdrawn, and two appellants were absent. Currently, 190 appeals remain pending.
Following the initial scrutiny between Dec 30 and Jan 4, there were 1,842 valid candidates. With 393 reinstatements and four removals over the last eight days, the total number of valid candidates now stands at 2,236.
This figure excludes 11 candidates from the Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 constituencies who were previously cleared.
The final day for hearings, scheduled to begin at 10am, is Sunday.
A total of 645 appeals have been filed. On Saturday, hearings were held for appeals numbered 511 to 610.
According to the official schedule, the deadline for the withdrawal of candidacy is Jan 20. Election symbols will be allocated on Jan 21, with official campaigning beginning the following day.
Polling is set to take place on Feb 12.
