Staff Reporter :
BNP Organising Secretary Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu on Tuesday asked the Election Commission what reason they (EC) had to legalise AL’s nomination papers in the scrunity, but rejected the BNP candidates’ papers for the same reason.
“Awami League candidates Hazi Selim and Pankaj Debnath were convicted in different cases. But their nomination papers were declared legal. Contrary for the same reason, the BNP candidates’ nomination papers were cancelled by the EC,” Dulu said it on Tuesday after submitting appeal to the EC against his nomination paper cancellation.
Replying to a query to the journalists, Dulu said, “Haji Selim was convicted for 13 years in a case. Pankaj Debnath was awarded 12 years jail in a graft case filed by Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). He also served jail with me for more than two years. They (AL candidates) are contesting in the polls, but why are our party men facing obstacles?”
He said, the EC has rejected huge BNP candidates’ nominations after being directed by the government.
Replying to a query, Ruhul Quddus Talukdar told the journalists, “The EC said to me that I am a convicted person. But the verdict was stayed by the high court. There can be no ground to cancel my nomination papers.”
He expressed hope that the EC will return their candidacy.
Dulu told the journalists, “Earlier you questioned why did the BNP submit two, three or more candidates in each constituencies. It is why we did that. We feared that the EC would cancel many of our candidates’ papers.”
