Staff Reporter:
The Election Commission (EC) yesterday approved 73 more appeals on the fifth day against the order of acceptance and cancellation of nomination papers of the Returning Officers in the upcoming 13th na-tional elections.
EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters this evening that a total of 100 appeals were heard on the fifth day yesterday against the decisions of the Returning Officers.
Out of these, he said, 73 appeals were approved, while 17 appeals were rejected and 10 were kept pend-ing.
He said so far, the EC have accepted the hearing of 380 appeals. Out of those, 277 appeals were ap-proved, 81 were rejected or cancelled and 23 appeals are pending for various reasons.
He further said a total of 645 appeals were heard and the EC will hear the appeals till January 18.
The appeal hearing began at 10 am yesterday at the auditorium (basement-2) of Nirbachan Bhaban at Agargaon in the capital. The appeal hearing was held till 5 pm with a one-hour break at noon by the full commission chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin.
A total of 100 appeals from 281 to 380 were heard yesterday. The hearings of 381 to 480 appeals and pending appeals will be held today (Thursday) from 10 am to 5 pm, while 481 to 510 and pending ap-peals will be held on January 16 (Friday) from 3 pm to 5 pm.
In addition, the appeal hearing process will conclude with the hearing of appeals numbering 511 to 610 on January 17 (Saturday) and 611 to 645 and the remaining pending appeals on January 18 (Sunday).
Earlier, the Returning Officers or Assistant Returning Officers declared the nomination papers of 1,842 candidates, out of 2,568, valid.
The candidatures of 723 candidates were cancelled.
