Staff Reporter:
A total of 49 candidates have been elected unopposed to the reserved women’s seats in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, with the Election Commission (EC) set to publish the official gazette today.
No candidate withdrew their nomination on the final day for withdrawal, resulting in an equal number of valid candidates against the available seats. Consequently, all 49 were declared elected uncontested, officials said.
The announcement was made at a briefing held at the Election Commission building in Agargaon yester-day by Returning Officer and EC Joint Secretary Md. Moin Uddin Khan.
He said the withdrawal window was open from 9:00am to 4:00pm yesterday, but no applications were submitted during that time.
“As per the law, the list of 49 valid candidates will be placed before the commission today for gazette notification,” he added.
Of the elected candidates, 36 are from the ruling BNP-led alliance, 12 belong to the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance, and one is from an independent bloc.
Following the publication of the gazette by the EC Secretariat, the documents will be forwarded to the Parliament Secretariat to arrange for their oath.
Regarding the remaining one of the total of 50 reserved seats, the returning officer said the nomination of NCP leader Nusrat Tabassum was initially not accepted due to late submission. She later filed a writ petition with the High Court (No. 5022/2026).
The court has directed the EC to accept her nomination, scrutinize it, and dispose of the matter within 72 hours. The EC is currently taking steps in line with the court’s order, Khan said.
Meanwhile, another candidate from the Jamaat alliance, Monira Sharmin, had her nomination earlier rejected as she had not completed three years since leaving government service.
The EC said it has not yet been informed whether she has filed an appeal against the decision.
The Commission added that a final decision on the remaining seat will be made in accordance with the law after the matter concerning Nusrat Tabassum is resolved.
