On the last day of nomination paper submissions for the 11th general elections on Wednesday, more than 200 candidates submitted papers from 15 constituencies of Dhaka city.
Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said there had been no violations of the electoral code of conduct during the submissions.
Returning Officer and Divisional Commissioner KM Ali Azam, while briefing the media, said: “The nomination submissions went peacefully, without the electoral code of conduct being violated.”
He added that most candidates did not come in large groups, as directed by the EC secretary.
At the election officer’s office in Dhaka’s Segunbagicha, a total of 32 polling officers were working at six tables to collect nomination letters of candidates from 15 constituencies in Dhaka city. Meanwhile, 15 magistrates were deployed in Dhaka, to ensure that there are no violations of the electoral code of conduct.
Commission Secretary Helal Uddin on Tuesday had said people could come in small groups to submit their papers, but all processions had been banned.
Sources at the commission said the total number of the nomination paper submissions crossed 200 on Wednesday.
Representatives of the BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas claimed the on-duty returning officer did not accept the nomination form of Mirza Abbas on Wednesday afternoon, even though they reached the office around 4:30pm.
One of the representatives, Khandekar Sikandar, claimed they could not submit the nomination form for constituency Dhaka 9 as returning officer was dawdling.
He added that they would submit a letter to the returning officer for consideration, but the Dhaka Tribune could not verify the claim.
During the last day of nomination submission, a number of Awami League candidates, including incumbent lawmakers Advocate Sahara Khatun, Aslamul Haque, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Elias Uddin Mollah, Dhaka City North unit Awami League President AKM Rahmatullah, Haji Mohammad Salim, Dhaka South unit Awami League President Abul Hasnat and Dhaka City North unit Awami League General Secretary Sadek Khan submitted their forms.
Among BNP leaders, Chairperson’s Advisor Abdus Salam, Jubo Dal President Saiful Islam Nirob, Shamim Ara Begum, Salahuddin Ahmed, and former Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s son Ishrak Hossain submitted their nomination forms.
Meanwhile, Gono Forum leaders Altaf Hossain, Subrata Chowdhury, and BNP nominated Jamaat leader Shafiqur Rahman also submitted their nomination forms under BNP’s “Sheaf of Paddy” electoral symbol on Wednesday.
