N'GANJ, Jan 3: Forty-one nomination papers have been declared valid while 16 were cancelled across five constituencies in Narayanganj District.
Out of 57 submissions, the scrutiny took place on Saturday from morning until noon at the office of the District Returning Officer. District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md. Raihan Kabir confirmed the figures after the verification process. Four nomination papers were initially kept pending but later in the afternoon were declared valid.
In Narayanganj-1 (Rupganj), six candidates were cleared and two disqualified. Independent BNP leader Mohammad Dulal's nomination was cancelled due to invalid voter signatures, while Moniruzzaman Chandan of the Communist Party of Bangladesh was rejected for missing signatures in his affidavit. Valid candidates include BNP's Mustafizur Rahman Bhuiyan Dipu, Jamaat's Anwar Hossain Molla, IAB's Md. Imdadullah, Bangladesh Insaniyat Biplob's Rehan Afzal, GOP's Wasim Uddin, and Khelafat Majlis's Abdul Kaiyum Shikdar.
In Narayanganj-2, six candidates were accepted and four rejected. Abu Hanif Hridoy of the Bangladesh Republican Party was disqualified as a loan defaulter, while independents Minhajur Rahman and Abdul Awal were rejected for invalid voter signatures. IAB's Maulana Mohammad Habibullah was cancelled for incorrect affidavit information. Three other candidates had their nominations temporarily suspended over tax arrears but were later cleared. Valid candidates include BNP's Nazrul Islam Azad, Khelafat Majlis's Abul Kalam, and GOP's Kamrul Mia.
In Narayanganj-3, former MP Professor Rezaul Karim (Independent) was disqualified for incomplete affidavit information. Ten others were cleared, including BNP's Azharul Islam Mannan, IAB's Golam Mosih, GOP's Wahidur Rahman Milki, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan's Atikur Rahman Munshi, Khelafat Majlish's Md. Shahajan, Janatar Dal's Abdul Karim Munshi, Jamaat's Iqbal Hossain Bhuiyan, Amar Bangladesh Party's Ariful Islam, Independent Muhammad Gias Uddin, and Ganosamhati Andolan's Anjan Das.
In Narayanganj-4, ten candidates were accepted and five rejected. Disqualified candidates include Arif Bhuiyan of GOP and Fatema Monir (Independent) for invalid voter signatures, Jatiya Party's Salauddin Khoka for unpaid gas bills, and Communist Party's Iqbal Hossain along with Supreme Party's Md. Selim Ahmed for incomplete affidavits. One candidate's nomination was initially suspended over unpaid bills but later validated. Among those cleared are Independent Shaha Alam, Khelafat Majlis's Md. Ilias Ahmed, Bangladesh Socialist Party's Selim Mahmud, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis's Anwar Hossain, IAB's Ismail Hossain Kausar, NCP's Abdullah Al Amin, Jamiat Ulema's Monir Hossain Kashemi, Independent Muhammad Gias Uddin, and Bangladesh Jasad's Sulaiman Dewan.
In Narayanganj-5, four of 12 candidates were disqualified. Independent Maksud Hossain was rejected for unpaid holding tax, BNP's Abu Zafar Ahmad Babul was cancelled for lacking party nomination, and GOP's Nahid Hossain was disqualified for incomplete affidavit information. Valid candidates include BNP's Abul Kalam, Khelafat Majlis's ABM Sirajul Islam Mamun, Bangladesh Socialist Party's Abu Naim Khan Biplob, IAB's Maulana Masum Billah, Muktijot's HM Amjad Hossain Molla, Islami Front's Syed Bahadur Shah Mujaddedi, Communist Party's Montu Chandra Ghosh, Ganosamhati Andolon's Tarikul Islam, and BNP's Advocate Sakhawat Hossain Khan.
DC Raihan Kabir said decisions were announced in the presence of candidates, with reasons for cancellation made public. He added that any aggrieved candidate may appeal to the Election Commission until January 9. If dissatisfied with the appeal outcome, they may take the matter to the High Court. Final candidate lists and election symbols will be announced on January 21.
The Chief Election Commissioner announced the election schedule on December 11. Following the announcement, 93 nomination papers were collected across Narayanganj's five constituencies. By the final submission date, 57 were filed. The election is scheduled for February 12.
