The Election Commission (EC) has issued a show-cause notice to Maulana Mamunul Haque, ameer of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis and the party’s candidate for the Dhaka-13 constituency, over allegations of violating the electoral code of conduct.
The matter was confirmed on Wednesday by Yunus Ali, the returning officer for Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-15.
According to the notice, Mamunul Haque has been instructed to appear at the returning officer’s office on January 17 to submit an explanation.
Under the revised election schedule, official campaigning for the 13th National Parliamentary Election is set to begin on January 22 and continue until 7:30am on February 10. However, allegations have been raised that Mamunul Haque engaged in electioneering before the permitted period.
During an on-the-spot visit, it was observed that on Tuesday afternoon, Mamunul Haque was distributing party leaflets in front of the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka.
According to the election schedule, scrutiny of nomination papers was conducted from December 30 to January 4. Appeals against returning officers’ decisions were filed between January 5 and 9, with hearings held from January 10 to 18. The final date for withdrawal of candidacy is January 20. Returning officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate electoral symbols on January 21. Official campaigning will begin on January 22 and continue until 7:30am on February 10. Voting is scheduled for February 12.
