BNP candidate Eliza Zaman has been declared elected unopposed in the by-election to a reserved seat for women in the 13th parliament.
Returning Officer and Election Commission (EC) Joint Secretary Moin Uddin Khan announced the decision on Monday, saying Eliza had been declared elected in accordance with the law. The EC has approved publication of the official gazette notification.
Earlier, the EC had declared her nomination valid for the by-election to the reserved women’s seat-23.
According to an EC Secretariat notice, Eliza, nominated by the BNP and its alliance, submitted her nomination paper on October 26, within the stipulated deadline. After scrutiny, her nomination was found valid.
As she did not withdraw her candidacy by the November 1 deadline at 4pm, her name was included in the final list under Section 12(1) of the Jatiya Sangsad (Reserved Women Seats) Election Act, 2004.
The seat fell vacant after BNP lawmaker Ferdousi Ahmed Misty resigned on October 1. The EC announced the by-election schedule on October 12.
Under the schedule, October 26 was set as the deadline for submitting nomination papers, followed by scrutiny on October 27. Appeals against scrutiny decisions were scheduled for October 28, with their disposal on October 29. The deadline for withdrawal of candidacy was November 1, while November 2 was set for allocation of electoral symbols.
The by-election was scheduled to be held on November 12. However, election rules allow a candidate to be declared elected unopposed if only one valid candidate remains after scrutiny and withdrawal of candidacy.