723 Nominations Cancelled in National Election: Party-Wise Breakdown

The Returning Officers appointed by the Election Commission have so far cancelled the candidature of at least 723 individuals across the country after scrutinising nomination papers for the upcoming 13th National Parliament Election. Currently, there are 1,842 valid candidates.

The scrutiny process concluded yesterday, Sunday (4 January) afternoon. From today, Monday (5 January), aggrieved candidates whose nominations were cancelled can file appeals with the Election Commission.

According to preliminary information, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had 27 candidates whose nomination papers or candidacies were cancelled during scrutiny. Similarly, 9 from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, 57 from Jatiya Party, and 41 from Islami Andolan Bangladesh had their nomination papers rejected.

Relevant sources told the media that many of the cancelled BNP candidates had submitted nomination papers with party affiliation but lacked the party certification letter. Apart from them, BNP currently has 331 valid candidates in the election. Additionally, Jamaat has 267, Islami Andolan Bangladesh has 227, and Jatiya Party has 167 valid candidates. The numbers for each party may increase based on appeal outcomes. However, if any candidates withdraw by 20 January, the numbers could decrease.

Election Commission officials stated that the cancellations were due to several reasons, including deficiencies in 1% voter signatures, mismatches and omissions in information, dual citizenship, unsigned affidavits, improper submission of income tax returns, and lack of party certification.

It is further known that in 9 constituencies, there are 2 valid candidates each, and in 22 constituencies, there are 3 valid candidates each. In the remaining constituencies, the number of candidates exceeds three. Meanwhile, due to the demise of BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, nomination papers were not scrutinised in Feni-1, Bogura-7, and Dinajpur-3 constituencies.

Notably, voting for the 300 constituencies in the 13th National Parliament Election, along with a referendum on the July National Charter Implementation Order-2025 for Constitution Reform, will be held on 12 February 2026. The last date for submitting nomination papers was until 29 December. Scrutiny took place from 30 December to 4 January.

Additionally, the last date for filing appeals with the commission against the Returning Officer's order is until 11 January. The commission will dispose of the filed appeals from 12 January to 18 January. The last day for withdrawal of candidature is 20 January. Returning Officers will publish the candidate list and allocate symbols on 21 January. Election campaigning will run from 22 January until 48 hours before polling, i.e., until 7:30 am on 10 February.