Abdul Awal Mintoo’s candidacy upheld

The Election Commission has upheld the candidacy of BNP vice-chairman and party nominee for Feni-3 constituency Abdul Awal Mintoo after rejecting an appeal filed against him by Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Mohammad Fakhruddin Manik from the same constituency.

The decision was made during an appeal hearing held on Sunday at the Election Commission auditorium in Agargaon.

Earlier, after the returning officer declared Mintoo’s nomination valid, an appeal was filed with the Election Commission seeking cancellation of his candidacy on allegations of dual citizenship. However, the commission rejected the appeal as Mintoo had applied to renounce his foreign citizenship and deposited the required fee by December 29, the final day for submission of nomination papers.

As a result, there are now no legal obstacles for the BNP candidate to contest the February 12 election.