Former NCP leader Tasnim Jara's Dhaka-9 nomination rejected

She says she is preparing to appeal against the decision

Tasnim Jara, who is seeking to contest the Dhaka-9 parliamentary seat as an independent candidate after leaving the National Citizen Party (NCP), has said her nomination papers have been rejected by election officials.

Speaking to reporters outside the returning officer’s office in Segunbagicha on Saturday, Jara said the decision was communicated to her around 11:30am.

Under Election Commission rules, independent candidates are required to submit verified signatures from at least 1 percent of registered voters in their constituency.

She said election officials randomly selected 10 voters from the list of registered voters submitted with her nomination papers for verification.

“Eight of those confirmed their signatures, one could not be reached by phone, and another said he was not a registered voter of the constituency,” she said.

She added that she was preparing to appeal against the decision.

Jara resigned from the NCP last week after the party named her as its candidate for the Dhaka-9 seat, saying she would instead contest the election as an independent. She had previously served as a senior joint member secretary of the party.

The Dhaka-9 constituency includes the areas of Sabujbagh, Khilgaon, Mugda and Manda.

Asked about her prospects, she said her popularity had not declined since leaving the NCP and expressed confidence that she would win if allowed to contest.