The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday declared the nomination papers of 49 candidates valid for the reserved women's seats in the Jatiya Sangsad.
Of them, 36 are from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), 12 from the Jamaat-led alliance, and one from the Independent Alliance.
The BNP candidates whose nominations were declared valid include Selima Rahman, Shirin Sultana, Rasheda Begum Hira, Rehana Akhter Ranu, Newaz Halima Arli, Mosa. Farida Yasmin, Bilkis Islam, Sakila Farzana, Helen Zerin Khan, Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Jiba Amina Khan, Mahmuda Habiba, Sabira Sultana, Sansila Zebrin, Sanjida Islam Tuli, Sultana Ahmed, Fahmida Haque, Anna Minaj, Suborna Sikder, Shamim Ara Begum Swapna, Shammi Akhter, Ferdousi Ahmed, Bitika Binte Hossain, Suraiya Zerin, Mansura Akhter, Zaharat Adib Chowdhury, Momtaz Alo, Fahima Nasrin, Arifa Sultana, Sanjida Yasmin, Nadia Pathan Papon, Shawkat Ara Akhter, Madhavi Marma, Selina Sultana, and Rezeka Sultana.
In addition, Sultana Jasmine Jui, a former vice-president of Chhatra Dal (Shraban-Jewel committee), has been declared valid as a candidate of the Independent Alliance backed by BNP.
Returning Officer and Joint Secretary of the EC Secretariat Md Moin Uddin Khan disclosed the information at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Thursday morning.
He said the nomination of Monira Sharmin, a candidate from the Jamaat alliance partner NCP, was cancelled as three years have not elapsed since she left government service, which is a legal requirement.
The nominations of three independent candidates were also cancelled due to the absence of backing from any political party or alliance.
Earlier, on Wednesday, the EC, after preliminary scrutiny, declared valid the nominations of 12 Jamaat alliance candidates. They are Nurunnisa Siddique, Marzia Begum, Sabiqun Nahar Munni, Mardia Momtaz, Nazmun Nahar Nilu, Mahfuza Siddique, Sajeda Samad, Samsun Nahar, Mahmuda Alam Mitu, Tasmia Pradhan, Mahbuba Hakim, and Rokeya Begum.
On April 21, the last day for submission, the EC rejected the nomination of another Jamaat-e-Islami alliance candidate, Nusrat Tabassum, as she arrived after the deadline. As a result, one of the 13 seats allocated to the alliance remains vacant and may be filled later under a fresh schedule.
According to the EC timetable, appeals against the Returning Officer's decisions can be filed on April 26, with hearings scheduled for April 27 and 28.
The deadline for withdrawal is April 29, symbols will be allotted on April 30, and voting will take place on May 12.
The EC also noted that candidates will be elected unopposed if the number of valid nominees equals the number of reserved seats allocated to a party or alliance.
