51 political parties file nomination papers for 13th parliamentary election

Candidates from 51 political parties have submitted their nomination papers to contest the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary election.

Election Commission (EC) Public Relations Director Md Ruhul Amin Mallik disclosed this information while briefing reporters at the Election Building on Tuesday (December 30).

He said a total of 51 registered political parties are participating in the polls. Combined with independent contenders, 2,570 candidates have so far filed nomination papers for the election.

However, even after 24 hours of the nomination submission deadline, the EC could not provide a breakdown of how many candidates were nominated by each party or the exact number of independent candidates.

At present, 59 political parties are registered with the Election Commission. Of them, the registration of the Bangladesh Awami League remains suspended, while the registrations of the PDP, Freedom Party and Oikya Boddho Nagorik Andolon have been cancelled.

According to the election schedule, scrutiny of nomination papers will be conducted from December 30 to January 4, 2026. Appeals against returning officers’ decisions may be filed between January 5 and 9, with hearings set to be completed from January 10 to 18. The deadline for withdrawal of candidacy is January 20.

The final list of candidates will be published and electoral symbols allotted on January 21. Election campaigning will begin on January 22 and continue until 7:30am on February 10. Voting is scheduled to take place on February 12.