Tasnim Jara’s Nomination Papers Rejected for Dhaka-9 Constituency

Nomination papers of Dr Tasnim Jara, who resigned from the National Citizens' Party (NCP), have been rejected for contesting as an independent candidate from Dhaka-9 constituency.

Returning Officer and Dhaka District Commissioner Rezaul Karim announced the decision on Saturday (3 January). Dr Tasnim Jara said unintentional errors occurred in some signatures due to lack of accurate voter information.

Speaking to journalists after leaving the Returning Officer's office, she explained: “The signatories believed they were voters of Dhaka-9 constituency when they signed. However, according to the Election Commission's records, they are not voters of that constituency.”

She added that one signatory tried to verify their voter number on the Election Commission's website but could not find it. They had assumed themselves to be voters of Dhaka-9 based on the address on their National ID card. The same issue occurred with another signatory.

Dr Tasnim Jara further said: “There is no effective mechanism from the Election Commission side for voters to know which constituency they belong to. Therefore, those who signed were genuinely unaware of their correct constituency. There was no malicious intent. However, while this is a challenge, there is also a positive side for us. As an independent candidate, we are receiving a lot of love from the people.”

Earlier, on 29 December, Dr Tasnim Jara submitted her nomination papers as an independent candidate.