The Election Commission (EC) has said that the scrutiny of nomination papers of Nusrat Tabassum, joint convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), for a reserved women’s seat in the 13th National Parliament will be held on Saturday.
A letter, signed by Md Moin Uddin Khan, returning officer for reserved women’s seats and joint secretary of the EC, disclosed the matter on Wednesday.
Earlier the same day, speaking to journalists at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, he said that out of the 50 reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament, 49 candidates are expected to be declared valid, with the Election Commission set to publish a gazette on Thursday.
He also noted that one candidate has filed an appeal against the Commission’s decision, while Nusrat Tabassum has submitted a writ petition. Following a court directive, her nomination papers must be accepted and the scrutiny process completed within 72 hours.
Clarifying the term “disposal,” he said it means her nomination papers will be formally accepted and examined in accordance with the law. After verification, she may be declared a valid candidate or have her nomination rejected.
Moin Uddin Khan has said that among the currently valid candidates, 36 are from the BNP and its allied partners, 12 from Jamaat-e-Islami and its coalition partners, and one from an independent alliance.
A total of 49 valid candidates have already been included in the published list, which has also been displayed through an official notice.
He added that, in line with Section 12(2) of the Reserved Seats Act, the list will be published in the official gazette on Thursday.
It is noted that the deadline for submission of nomination papers was 4:00pm on April 21. However, Nusrat Tabassum submitted her nomination 19 minutes after the deadline, and the returning officer subsequently did not accept it.
Seeking to regain her candidacy, Nusrat Tabassum filed a writ petition with the High Court on April 27. Following the hearing, the court directed the Election Commission to accept her nomination paper and take further action in accordance with the law.
