Nomination Rejections: 350 failed to prove 1pc voters’ support
Around 350 people lost their bid to run for parliament as independents because they failed to prove that they had the support of at least one percent of the voters in their constituencies.
Of the total 731 aspirants whose nomination papers were scrapped by the EC, 105 are loan defaulters and 15 had unpaid utility bills, according to the Election Commission.
Seventy-two others did not provide documents to prove that they had paid income tax, and eight did not pay municipality or city corporation taxes.
Officials are currently working on a detailed report on the reasons why nomination papers were rejected, said Ashok Kumar Debnath, additional secretary at the EC.
As per the article 12 of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, individuals and company owners should be disqualified if they default on their loans.
Of the 731 aspirants disqualified, 423 were independents and 308 party nominated.
Four Awami League nominees lost their candidature. Of them, Salah Uddin Ahmed of Cox's Bazar-1 and Mamunur Rashid of Noakhali-3, defaulted on loan repayments; Shammi Ahmed of Barishal-4 has dual citizenship; and Nasirul Islam of Kishoreganj-4 concealed information in his affidavit, according to EC data.
Nomination papers of 37 aspirants from Bangladesh Congress, 24 each from the Jatiya Party and Trinomool BNP, and four from the Gono Forum were cancelled.
Bikalpadhara leaders Abdul Mannan of Laxmipur-4 and Mahi B Chowdhury of Munshiganj-1 defaulted on loans.
Twenty-nine aspirants' papers were not properly signed, 57 did not submit all the required documents, 20 mentioned the names of proposers and seconders who were not from the constituency concerned, 21 hid lawsuit-related information, eight hid information in affidavits, six did not submit educational certificates.
Candidature of Gono Front's Manikganj-1 candidate Shahjahan Khan, Narayanganj-2 independent Hazi Shariful Islam, Madaripur-2 independent Yousuf Ali Sumon, BNM's Manikganj-1 aspirant Monayem Khan, and Bangladesh Congress' Chattogram-8 nominee Mohibur Rahman Bulbul defaulted on paying credit card bills.
The EC, in a statement yesterday, said aspirants whose nominations were cancelled can file appeals with the commission by December 9.
The aspirants or their representatives will have to file the appeals at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon. The EC will dispose of the appeals from December 10 to 15.
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