Dhaka: A total of 164 appeals have been filed with the Election Commission (EC) in the last two days challenging returning officers’ decisions on acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for the upcoming 13th national parliamentary polls. Of these, 122 appeals were submitted today at the Election Commission Bhaban in Agargaon through 10 region-based booths, the EC said.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, appeals were initially filed from various regions, including Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Chattogram, Cumilla, Mymensingh, Barishal, and Faridpur. On January 4, the final day of scrutiny, returning officers scrutinized 2,568 nomination papers in 300 constituencies, declaring 1,842 nominations valid and rejecting 723.
An EC notice indicated that aggrieved candidates or concerned institutions began filing appeals from January 5, with the process continuing up to January 9 until 5:00 pm. Hearings on the appeals are scheduled to take place from January 10 to January 18 at the Election Bhaban auditorium, under the supervision of the full commission. The appeal verdicts will be displayed on monitors, emailed to concerned parties, and published on the Election Commission’s website.