Nusrat Tabassum’s nomination declared valid

The nomination paper of Nusrat Tabassum, joint convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), for a reserved women’s seat in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad has been declared valid by the returning officer.

Returning Officer Md. Moin Uddin Khan confirmed the matter to journalists after the scrutiny process at the Election Commission building on Saturday (May 2).

The deadline for submitting nomination papers was 4pm on April 21. Nusrat attempted to submit her nomination shortly after the deadline, but the returning officer initially refused to accept it.

She later sought legal remedy, and the court directed the Election Commission to accept her nomination and take further action in accordance with the law.

Following the court order, her nomination paper was accepted and subsequently validated during the scrutiny process.

Earlier, the nomination of another NCP candidate, Monira Sharmin, was rejected. Returning officials declared her nomination invalid under electoral law, as three years had not yet passed since her resignation from state-owned Krishi Bank.

The Election Commission published a gazette declaring 49 candidates elected to the reserved women’s seats in the 13th parliament on Thursday evening. These include 36 candidates from BNP, 12 from Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party, and other parties under the 11-party electoral alliance, as well as one independent candidate.

Arrangements will now be made for the elected members to take oath as Members of Parliament, while the candidacy for one remaining seat remains unresolved due to ongoing legal complications.