Anisul Islam Mahmud’s nomination for Chattogram-5 rejected

The nomination of Anisul Islam Mahmud, president of the Jatiya Gonotantrik Front and a factional chairman of the Jatiya Party, has been rejected for the Chattogram-5 (Hathazari) constituency.

The decision was announced by the returning officer and Chattogram divisional commissioner Md. Ziauddin on Saturday afternoon (January 3).

The returning officer cited discrepancies between signatures on the affidavit and the party nomination papers sent by the Election Commission as the reason for the rejection.

During the scrutiny, a group of people gathered outside the divisional commissioner and returning officer’s office, chanting slogans against Anisul Islam Mahmud. Police were deployed to maintain order. A lawyer representing Mahmud alleged that some of his proposers and supporters were barred from entering the venue.

Additionally, the nominations of independent candidates SM Fazlul Haque and Shakila Farzana were also rejected. Verification of randomly selected voter signatures revealed irregularities, prompting the Election Commission to invalidate their papers.

Meanwhile, BNP candidate and central co-organising secretary Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin’s nomination for the constituency was declared valid.