The Election Commission (EC) has taken an unusually firm line against loan defaulters while scrutinizing nomination papers for the 13th National Parliament elections, cancelling the candidacies of 82 aspirants on default grounds.
The move marks a sharper stance than in recent polls. Yet the presence of court stay-orders allowing at least 31 candidates to remain in the race has revived a familiar question: are loan defaulters truly being kept out this time?
According to EC data, 2,568 candidates submitted nomination papers.
Using Credit Information Bureau (CIB) reports from Bangladesh Bank, returning officers invalidated a significant number during scrutiny, with 82 cancellations directly linked to loan default.
Earlier, Bangladesh Bank officials had indicated that at least 100 defaulters had initially sought to contest the election.
Under the Representation of the People Order (RPO), loan defaulters are ineligible to contest parliamentary elections.
The amended law further empowers the EC to cancel a lawmaker’s membership if default or false information is proven even after election. During scrutiny, returning officers verify affidavits against CIB records, cancelling nominations where default is established.
Those affected, however, retain the right to appeal through the courts.
Despite stricter verification, loopholes remain. At least 31 candidates are contesting by producing stay orders from the High Court, temporarily shielding them from being treated as defaulters.
Similar controversies surfaced in past elections—most notably in 2024—when candidates were accused of concealing loan information.
Learning from that experience, Bangladesh Bank adopted a more cautious approach this time, issuing special instructions to banks.
Governor Ahsan H Mansur publicly asserted that court stays should not allow defaulters to contest, emphasizing that their status would remain recorded in the CIB.
But he also acknowledged the legal limits.
“We wanted that no one should be able to participate in the election with a court stay order. But for this, the law needs to be amended. The central bank does not have that power,” the governor said, adding that Bangladesh Bank’s role becomes limited once legal relief is granted by the High Court or Supreme Court.
Currently, 31 candidates are treated as out of the defaulter list due to court orders, while Bangladesh Bank says the remaining 2,461 candidates are free of default.
Several prominent aspirants have already been disqualified. Among them are Jatiya Party leader Mujibul Haque Chunnu from Kishoreganj-3, Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Mujibur Rahman Shamim, Jatiya Party’s Golam Sarwar, LDP candidates Md Hasan Imam Litu and Abdul Haque, and Jamaat-e-Islami’s nominee for Dhaka-2.
Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said the central bank provides the EC with updated loan statuses, while the commission decides on candidates who have obtained court relief.
“Our responsibility is to inform about those who have not paid their loans,” he said.
Bank officials say many aspirants who were defaulters in the past regularized their loans through negotiation, but loans obtained through fraud proved harder to settle, requiring special approval from Bangladesh Bank. Those cases largely remain on the defaulter list.
In a further tightening move, the Financial Institutions Division (FID) of the finance ministry issued a circular on December 29, instructing banks that candidates who are directors of defaulting banks or financial institutions would also be disqualified from becoming MPs.
Banks were also told to ensure officials’ presence during scrutiny and appeal hearings.
723 nominations cancelled overall
Beyond loan defaults, the EC has cancelled a total of 723 nomination papers across 300 constituencies.
Of the 2,568 submissions, 1,842 were declared valid.
The cancelled list includes 338 independents and party candidates—59 from the Jatiya Party, 39 from Islami Andolan Bangladesh, 25 each from BNP and the Communist Party of Bangladesh, 10 from Jamaat-e-Islami and three from the Jatiya Nagorik Party.
Many BNP nominations were rejected for lacking party endorsement, classifying them as rebel candidates.
Although 3,406 nomination papers were initially collected, only 2,568 were submitted by the December 29 deadline—2,090 from 51 registered parties and 478 independents.
Appeals against nomination decisions will be heard between January 10 and 18. Candidates may withdraw by January 20, with symbols allocated on January 21, formally launching the campaign.
Voting is scheduled for February 12, alongside a referendum on the July National Charter.
While scrutiny this time is visibly tougher, officials concede that completely blocking loan defaulters remains impossible without legal reform.
The final picture will only emerge after appeals are settled and the final candidate list is published in the coming days.
