Second day of EC appeal hearings underway

The second day of hearings on appeals filed against decisions of returning officers over the scrutiny of nomination papers for the 13th National Parliamentary Election began on Sunday.

The hearings started at 10:00am at the auditorium of the Election Commission (EC) building in Agargaon, Dhaka.

According to EC sources, appeals listed from serial numbers 71 to 140 are being heard on Sunday. The proceedings will continue until 5:00pm.

On Saturday, the first day of appeal hearings concluded with cases numbered from 1 to 70 being reviewed. As per the decisions taken on the opening day, 51 appeals against the rejection of nomination papers were allowed.

Meanwhile, an appeal against the acceptance of a nomination paper was also upheld, resulting in the cancellation of the nomination of independent candidate S A K Ekramuzzaman from the Brahmanbaria-1 constituency. In addition, 15 appeals were dismissed and three applications were kept pending on the first day.

Under the schedule set by the EC, hearings on appeals numbered from 141 to 210 will be held on Monday (12 January), followed by those numbered from 211 to 280 on Tuesday (13 January). Hearings will take place daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

According to the election roadmap, the deadline for withdrawal of candidature in the 13th National Parliamentary Election is 20 January. The final list of candidates will be published and electoral symbols allocated by returning officers on 21 January.

Election campaigning will begin on 22 January and continue until 7:30am on 10 February. Polling will be held on 12 February (Thursday), from 7:30am to 4:30pm without a break.