Special Correspondent :
The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday turned down all three appeals filed by BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia against rejection of her candidatures for Feni-1, Bogura-6 and Bogura-7 Constituencies.
After appeal hearing, the EC declared her candidatures invalid as per a recent Supreme Court ruling, anonymous EC officials told The New Nation.
The five members EC led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda rejected her apparel by a division (4-1) vote, EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed told media while announcing Khaleda’s nominations.
According to EC officials, four Commissioners, including the CEC, voted against her candidature in the election, while only one gave his decision in favour of BNP Chief. Khaleda Zia, who has been in jail since February, is serving a 10-year sentence on a corruption conviction. In October, she was sentenced to seven years after being found guilty in another corruption case.
The Commission also rejected the candidatures of BNP leader Amanullah Aman (Dhaka-2), Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, son of BNP leader Mir Nasir Uddin (Chattogram-5),
However, the EC reinstated nominations of BNP heavyweights and former foreign minister M Morshed Khan, Mirza Abbas and his wife and Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal President Afroza Abbas, Abu Bakar Siddique, clearing their way for contesting in the upcoming 11th Parliamentary Election.
Morshed Khan will contest the polls from Chattogram-8 Constituency, Mirza Abbas from Dhaka-8 Constituency, Afroza Abbas from Dhaka-9 Constituency and Abu Bakar Siddique from Rajshahi-5 Constituency.
During the hearing, the Commission accepted the appeal of Nazmul Huda to vie the election from Dhaka-17 Constituency.
On the third and final day, the EC heard 233 appeal petitions filed by aspirant candidates against the decision of rejection and acceptance of nominations by Returning Officers.
The hearing started at 10:00am at the Nirbachan Bhaban with CEC KM Nurul Huda in the chair.
The hearing was continuing till filing the report at 8pm.
Earlier, candidates filed a total of 543 appeals with the EC against the ROs’ decisions.
As many as 3,065 nominations were submitted and the ROs rejected 786 of them during scrutiny on December 2 on the grounds of conviction in cases, defaulted loans and non-payment of utility service bills, according to an EC statement.
