Appeal hearings on candidacy to conclude today

The Election Commission (EC) is set to conclude appeal hearings today against returning officers’ decisions for the 13th parliamentary elections, paving the way for the publication of the final list of candidates.

The EC said hearings will be held from 10:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday, with decisions to be taken on around 50 appeals, including those kept pending earlier.

According to EC officials, 396 candidates have regained eligibility during the eight-day appeal process, while the candidacy of four previously cleared contenders has been cancelled following successful appeals.

Under the announced schedule, candidates may withdraw their nominations until January 20. The final candidate list, along with symbol allocation, will be published thereafter.

Earlier, nomination scrutiny conducted between December 30 and January 4 had led to the rejection of 723 candidates, leaving 1,842 initially valid. Following successful appeals, the number of valid candidates has risen to 2,236, although 11 contenders from Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 will be excluded ahead of voting.

A total of 645 appeals were filed. Hearings on appeals numbered 511 to 610 were completed on Saturday, with the remaining cases to be heard today at the EC auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka.

Symbol allocation among contesting candidates is scheduled for January 21, while voting will take place on February 12.