The election to the reserved women’s seats of the 13th parliament will be held on May 12, with the Election Commission of Bangladesh announcing the schedule on Wednesday.
Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed unveiled the schedule at the Election Commission building in Agargaon in the capital.
He said the decision was finalized at a commission meeting on Monday, following which the schedule was formally announced.
According to the timetable, the deadline for submitting nomination papers is April 21, and submissions must be made at the EC Secretariat building.
The returning officer will scrutinise nomination papers on April 22 and 23 at the same venue. Appeals can be filed on April 26, with disposal scheduled for April 27 and 28. The final date for withdrawal of candidature is April 29, while election symbols will be allocated on April 30. Voting will take place on May 12.
Moinuddin Khan will serve as the returning officer, while Monir Hossain will act as assistant returning officer. Four polling officers will also be deployed to conduct the election.
Regarding seat distribution, the EC secretary said 36 seats have been allocated to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies, while 13 seats will go to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its alliance. One seat has been kept for independent candidates, bringing the total to 50.
He added that Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Rumeen Farhana will contest independently and are not part of any alliance.
Providing an update on other polls, Akhtar Ahmed said elections in Sherpur-3 and Bogra-6 constituencies will be held on Thursday. “So far, everything is on track based on the information we have received. We hope to surpass the benchmark achieved in national elections with your cooperation,” he added.
