The returning officers of the Election Commission yesterday allocated polls symbols among the contesting candidates in the ensuing 10th parliamentary polls slated for January 5 next year.
They allocated Jatiya Party’s election symbol ‘Plough’ to Jatiya Party candidates ignoring party Chairman HM Ershad’s request for not allocating the symbol to any candidate.
Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested the Election Commission to allocate ‘boat’ symbol to 10 candidates of its allies.
She made the request by submitting a letter on Friday to the Election Commission to allocate ‘boat’ symbol to its nominated candidates in 10 parliamentary constituencies.
The party urged to allocate the symbol to four workers party candidates, four Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) candidates and two Tarikat Federation candidates.
According to the Representation of the People Order (RPO), an application should be made to EC within three days of publication of the notification, for allotting one prescribed symbol to the candidates of a combination of two or more registered political parties who have agreed to set up joint candidates for election.
Candidature of 328 out of 840, had been withdrawn untill filing of this report yesterday around 9:30pm.
As many as 149 Jatiya Party candidates withdrew their nomination by December 13 following the party chief’s request.
Among the withdrawn candidatures, 149 are from the Jatiya Party, 44 from the ruling Awami League, 31 are independent candidates, 19 are from Jasad, 15 from Anwar Hossain Monzu led Jatiya Party-JP, 10 from Bangladesh Islamic Front, seven from the Workers’ Party of Bangladesh, six from the newly registered Bangladesh Nationalist Front, six from Tarikat Federation, four from Bangladesh Jatiya Party, three from National Awami Party, two from Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish and one from the Islamic Front Bangladesh.
Out of 1107 aspirant candidates, 840 nomination papers were approved after scrutiny on December 5 and 6.
On November 25, the EC announced the schedule for the country’s 10th parliamentary election.