EC appeal hearings restore candidacy of 417, total valid candidates now 2,253

Two candidates lose eligibility on final day of appeal hearings

The Election Commission has completed appeal hearings against returning officers’ decisions on nomination papers for the national election, restoring the candidacy of 417 contenders.

With the conclusion of hearings on Sunday, the total number of valid candidates now stands at 2,253.

At the same time, the commission scrapped the nominations of six candidates who had earlier been declared valid.

The ninth and final day of hearings was held from morning to evening at the Election Building in Agargaon, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, with all four election commissioners present.

According to the election schedule, candidates have until Jan 20 to withdraw their nominations.

The final list of contenders will be confirmed thereafter, with symbols to be allocated on Jan 21.

Voting will be held on Feb 12, alongside a national referendum.

The deadline for submitting nomination papers was Dec 29.

A total of around 2,500 nomination papers were filed across 300 constituencies.

During scrutiny between Dec 30 and Jan 4, returning officers rejected 723 nominations, leaving 1,842 candidates initially declared valid.

Appeals against those decisions were accepted from Jan 5 to Jan 9, with 645 candidates filing petitions.

Appeal hearings began on Jan 10 and continued uninterrupted until Sunday.

However, candidates in Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 constituencies will be excluded from the overall count.

Although 11 candidates in those seats were previously declared valid under the earlier schedule, a revised timetable has since been issued while keeping polling day unchanged.

Under the revised schedule announced following an Appellate Division order, Sunday was the last day for filing nomination papers in those two constituencies.

Seven nominations were submitted in Pabna-1 and five in Pabna-2.

FINAL DAY APPEAL DECISIONS

EC Public Relations Director Ruhul Amin Mollik said 63 appeals were heard on Sunday, of which 23 were accepted.

Among them, 21 candidates regained eligibility after appeals against rejection of their nomination papers were upheld.

Two candidates lost eligibility after appeals against acceptance of their nomination papers were allowed.

The commission rejected 35 appeals -- 18 against rejection of nomination papers and 16 against acceptance.

One appeal seeking to uphold rejection was also dismissed.

Three appeals were withdrawn during hearings, one appellant was absent, and two appeals were kept pending.

HIGHEST NUMBER OF CANDIDACIES RESTORED

This election has seen the highest number of candidates regaining eligibility through appeals.

Of the 645 appellants, 417 were reinstated -- about 150 more than in the previous parliamentary election.

In the 12th parliamentary election, 731 nominations were rejected at the scrutiny stage.

Of 560 appeals filed then, 286 were accepted.

After the hearings concluded, CEC Nasir Uddin said the commission had relaxed certain requirements, including the rule on one percent voter signatures for independent candidates, to encourage participation.

“We want an inclusive election with broad participation,” he said, urging cooperation from all stakeholders.