Home
+
Published : 20 Jan 2026, 01:30 PM
The window for withdrawing candidacies from 298 constituencies in the parliamentary election is set to close shortly.
Returning Officer for Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-15, Md Yunus Ali, confirmed that withdrawal applications must be submitted by 5pm on Tuesday.
Candidates in the Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 seats, however, have until next Monday to pull out, following a revised schedule prompted by legal disputes over boundary demarcations.
Several aspirants were observed at the Dhaka divisional commissioner's office early in the day to formalise their exit.
Among those opting out were Ahsan Ullah of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis for Dhaka-16 and Ahmad Ali for Dhaka-10.
A day earlier, Bilkis Nasima Rahman, representing Ganosamhati Andolon, retracted her nomination for Dhaka-18.
DEADLINES, ADJUSTMENTS
The Election Commission (EC) issued a fresh timeline for the two Pabna constituencies on Jan 15, where aggrieved contenders are currently appealing against the decisions of returning officers.
For the rest of the country, the pool of 2,254 valid candidates is expected to shrink once the final resignation tally is confirmed this evening.
Under Article 16 of the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972, a candidate must provide a signed written notice in person or via an authorised proxy to withdraw.
In cases where a registered political party has fielded multiple nominees for a single seat, the party leadership must notify the returning officer of their final selection by the end of the day.
NEXT PHASE
Once the deadline expires, election officials will publish the definitive list of contesting candidates. Symbol allocation is slated for Wednesday, Jan 21, enabling candidates to launch their official campaigns the following morning.
According to EC protocols, symbols will be distributed and names organised in Bengali alphabetical order.
The national election and a concurrent referendum on the July Charter are scheduled for Feb 12. Voting will take place from 7:30am to 4:30pm without interruption.
To manage the massive logistical undertaking, the commission has deployed 69 returning officers and 499 assistant returning officers across the country.
