Jamaat’s Hamidur Rahman Azad gets candidacy back
Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission on Saturday declared the candidature of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam’s aspirant for Cox’s Bazar-2 AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad valid after hearing his appeal petition.
Earlier, the returning officer concerned declared his nomination paper invalid during the scrutiny.
The Election Commission, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, on Saturday started the hearing and disposal of the appeal petitions filed by the aggrieved aspirants, challenging the decisions of the returning officers over the cancellation and acceptance of nomination papers.
During the first day of the nine-day hearing, the Commission heard the petition filed by Hamidur Rahman Azad and declared him as a valid candidate in the upcoming national election scheduled to be held on February 12 next. The hearing began at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city’s Agargaon area on Saturday.
Some 70 petitions filed by aggrieved aspirants would be heard on Saturday. A total of 645 aspirants filed appeal petitions with the Election Commission before the deadline expired on Friday, challenging returning officers’ decisions on the rejection and acceptance of nomination papers.
Most of the petitions were submitted from January 5 to 9 against the cancellation of nomination papers during the scrutiny.
The Election Commission will hear and dispose of the petitions by January 18.
Earlier during the five-day nomination paper scrutiny from December 30 to January 04, the 69 returning officers – two divisional commissioners (Dhaka and Chattogram), 64 district deputy commissioners and three regional election commissioners (Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna) – declared that the nomination papers of a total of 1,842 candidates valid and that of 723 others invalid.
A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers for the country’s 300 constituencies by the December-29 deadline to contest the 13th parliamentary election.
The Election Commission on December 11 announced the election schedule to arrange the national election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12, 2026.
According to the schedule, the last date for the withdrawal of candidature is January 20. The election campaign will start on January 22 and continue till 48 hours before the balloting period (7:30am on February 10).