The Election Commission (EC) has approved 52 appeals against the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, restoring the candidacy of 51 previously cancelled candidates. 15 appeals were rejected, while three were adjourned for further review.
Among the reinstated candidates are Tasnim Jara, an independent candidate for Dhaka-9, and AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, Jamaat-e-Islami's central assistant secretary general, for Cox's Bazar-2 (Maheshkhali Kutubdia). Other notable candidates restored include Rashed Prodhan of the Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (Jagpa) and four candidates from Islami Andolan Bangladesh.
Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed confirmed that out of 70 appeals heard on Saturday, 52 were approved, 15 rejected, and three adjourned. One adjourned appeal will be reconsidered by 5:00 pm on Sunday, while the other two will be heard on January 16. EC Director (Public Relations) Md. Ruhul Amin Mallik noted that 51 of the approved appeals involved candidates whose nominations had previously been cancelled, and one appeal resulted in a nomination being revoked.
The appeal hearings, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin, began at 10:00 am at the EC auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka and continued until 5:00 pm. Arguments were heard from candidates and their legal representatives, and returning officers presented the reasons for the initial acceptance or rejection of nominations.
The EC will continue daily appeal hearings until January 18, 2026, covering appeals numbered 71-280 in the following days. Decisions will be displayed on monitors, emailed to returning officers, and published on the EC website.
Following nomination scrutiny on January 4, out of 2,568 submissions across 300 constituencies, 1,842 papers were accepted and 723 were rejected, setting the stage for ongoing appeals and final confirmations of candidates.
