The election to the reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament is scheduled for May 12.
The Election Commission (EC) has completed the submission and scrutiny of nomination papers for the election.
After scrutiny, the EC declared 49 nomination papers valid for 50 reserved women’s seats in the 13th parliament. The commission cancelled the nomination of Monira Sharmin, a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) from the Jamaat-led alliance, bringing attention to what will happen to the now-vacant seat.
Who submitted how many nominations
To take part in the election, the BNP-led alliance submitted 36 nomination papers, all of which were declared valid. The Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance submitted 13 nominations, of which 12 were validated.
In addition, one nomination was submitted by an independent platform—Sultana Jesmin—which was also declared valid.
Three other independent candidates—Shahina Akter, Mosammat Mehrunnesa, and Mahbuba Rahman—also submitted nominations, though Mahbuba Rahman later withdrew her candidacy.
Separately, NCP’s Nusrat Tabassum submitted her nomination 19 minutes after the deadline on April 21, leading to its rejection.
How the seat became vacant
Based on proportional representation from the general election, the EC allocated 13 reserved women’s seats to the Jamaat-led alliance. Of these, 12 nominations were approved, while Monira Sharmin’s nomination was initially kept pending and later cancelled.
Returning Officer Md Moin Uddin Khan said Monira Sharmin had deficiencies in her documents during scrutiny. Although she submitted the required documents within the deadline, further review found her ineligible under the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972.
He said she had been employed at Bangladesh Krishi Bank, a statutory public authority. According to Section 12(c) of the RPO, a person must wait at least three years after leaving such a position before being eligible to contest elections. In her case, that period had not elapsed, leading to the cancellation of her nomination.
Monira Sharmin said she would appeal the decision.
Sources said she joined Bangladesh Krishi Bank on November 11, 2023, and resigned in December last year—meaning only about four months have passed since leaving the job.
Legal implications of a vacant seat
Under the law, if the number of valid nominations is fewer than the allocated seats for a party or alliance, the seat becomes open.
EC officials said the vacant seat will now be declared open, allowing all political parties and alliances to contest.
Assistant Returning Officer and EC Deputy Secretary Md Monir Hossain said that if a seat remains vacant within the stipulated time, it becomes open under the relevant law governing reserved women’s seats. All alliances will then be able to nominate candidates and compete.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said that in such cases, the EC will announce a fresh schedule, allowing parties to nominate new candidates. A re-election will then be held for that seat, where members of parliament will vote to elect a representative.
Key dates for appeals, election process
Appeals against scrutiny decisions can be filed on April 26 (9am–4pm), with hearings scheduled for April 27 and 28 (from 11am onwards).
The last date for withdrawal of candidacy is April 29 (9am–4pm), while symbol allocation will take place on April 30 (from 10am).
Voting is set for May 12 from 8am to 4pm.
