Scrutiny of nomination papers for UP polls ends

Aggrieved candidates can appeal between Feb 25 and 27, and it will be settled between Feb 28 and Mar 1

The two-day-long scrutiny of nomination papers of 39,430 candidates for polls to 739 Union Parishads (UPs) ended yesterday.
The Election Commission (EC) will now announce the number of final candidates who will contest for chairman, member (general) and member (reserved) posts in the first phase of the UP polls. The candidates whose nomination papers will be cancelled during scrutiny will get the opportunity to appeal to the district election officer who has been appointed as the appeal authority.
The aggrieved candidates can appeal between February 25 and 27, and the appeals will be settled between February 28 and March 1. The last date of withdrawing nomination is March 2 and the selected candidates will get the election symbols on March 3.
Of the 39,430 candidates, 3,568 are competing for the post of chairman, 27,947 for member (general) and 7,915 for member (reserved). Of the chairman candidates, 1,900 are from 16 political parties, while 1,668 are independents, said EC sources.
At 25 UPs, only one nomination has been filed for the chairman’s post. If the nominations are not cancelled, these candidates will be elected unofficially.
The ruling Awami League has nominated 741 candidates, followed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that nominated 668 chairman candidates. The BNP has not nominated candidates in 45 UPs.
The BNP yesterday alleged that ruling party cadres prevented 83 of their chairman candidates from submitting their nominations. BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi raised the allegation at a press conference at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters in Dhaka yesterday.
He alleged that 30 of these 83 chairman candidates could not submit nominations in Bagherhat district. He also claimed that four or five of their candidates were threatened to withdraw nominations and some of them were also threatened with death.
“The Awami League and police are trying to manipulate the UP elections like the January 5 polls,” he added.
“BNP men are even being attacked in their houses,” he claimed.
The EC yesterday cancelled the election to 12 of the 684 UPs that were supposed to go to polls in the second phase on March 31. There are reportedly some legal complications, including delimitation and voter list problems, in these 12 UPs.
These UPs are Ghagho under Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district, Bachor, Hossaingaon and Nanduar unions under Ranisankoil upazila in Thakurgaon district, Begumpur, Shankarchandra and Titidaha under Chuadanga Sadar upazila, Khokshabari and Tupamari under Nilphamari Sadar upazila, Aminabad and Nurabad union under Chafashan upazila in Bhola district, and Kuchiamora union in Magura Sadar upazila.

Scrutiny of nomination papers for UP polls ends

Aggrieved candidates can appeal between Feb 25 and 27, and it will be settled between Feb 28 and Mar 1

The two-day-long scrutiny of nomination papers of 39,430 candidates for polls to 739 Union Parishads (UPs) ended yesterday. The Election Commission (EC) will now announce the number of final candidates who will contest for chairman, member (general) and member (reserved) posts in the first phase of the UP polls. The candidates whose nomination papers will be cancelled during scrutiny will get the opportunity to appeal to the district election officer who has been appointed as the appeal authority. The aggrieved candidates can appeal between February 25 and 27, and the appeals will be settled between February 28 and March 1. The last date of withdrawing nomination is March 2 and the selected candidates will get the election symbols on March 3. Of the 39,430 candidates, 3,568 are competing for the post of chairman, 27,947 for member (general) and 7,915 for member (reserved). Of the chairman candidates, 1,900 are from 16 political parties, while 1,668 are independents, said EC sources. At 25 UPs, only one nomination has been filed for the chairmans post. If the nominations are not cancelled, these candidates will be elected unofficially. The ruling Awami League has nominated 741 candidates, followed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that nominated 668 chairman candidates. The BNP has not nominated candidates in 45 UPs. The BNP yesterday alleged that ruling party cadres prevented 83 of their chairman candidates from submitting their nominations. BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi raised the allegation at a press conference at the partys Naya Paltan headquarters in Dhaka yesterday. He alleged that 30 of these 83 chairman candidates could not submit nominations in Bagherhat district. He also claimed that four or five of their candidates were threatened to withdraw nominations and some of them were also threatened with death. The Awami League and police are trying to manipulate the UP elections like the January 5 polls, he added. BNP men are even being attacked in their houses, he claimed. The EC yesterday cancelled the election to 12 of the 684 UPs that were supposed to go to polls in the second phase on March 31. There are reportedly some legal complications, including delimitation and voter list problems, in these 12 UPs. These UPs are Ghagho under Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj district, Bachor, Hossaingaon and Nanduar unions under Ranisankoil upazila in Thakurgaon district, Begumpur, Shankarchandra and Titidaha under Chuadanga Sadar upazila, Khokshabari and Tupamari under Nilphamari Sadar upazila, Aminabad and Nurabad union under Chafashan upazila in Bhola district, and Kuchiamora union in Magura Sadar upazila.