DHAKA — The Election Commission on Monday upheld the rejection of the nomination of Monira Sharmin, a National Citizen Party (NCP) leader and Jamaat alliance candidate for a reserved women’s seat in the 13th parliament.
The appeal hearing was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner A.M.M. Nasir Uddin at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka. Four other election commissioners were also present.
After the hearing, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the appeal application was rejected on legal grounds and the returning officer’s decision to cancel her nomination would stand.
According to the affidavit submitted to the commission, Sharmin joined state-owned Bangladesh Krishi Bank as an officer on Nov. 11, 2023, and left the job in December 2025. Under the Representation of the People Order, candidates must wait three years after leaving government service before contesting an election.
Because only about four and a half months had passed since she left the job, the returning officer and joint secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, Md. Moin Uddin Khan, rejected her nomination at the scrutiny stage last Thursday.
With the same decision upheld at the Election Commission appeal on Monday, Sharmin told reporters she will file a writ petition at the High Court to regain her candidacy.
As a result of the cancellation, one of the 13 seats allocated proportionally to the Jamaat alliance will remain vacant for now, leaving the alliance with 12 valid candidates. The vacant seat will be opened up for voting under a new schedule, according to the commission.
The Election Commission has declared a total of 49 nominations valid for the reserved women’s seats: 36 from the BNP alliance, 12 from the Jamaat alliance and one independent candidate.
Under the announced schedule, April 29 is the last day for withdrawal of candidacies and voting will be held on May 12.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report