Candidates must submit election expense returns by mid-March: EC

The candidates for the 13th parliamentary election are legally obliged to submit the return of their election expenses by mid-March to the Election Commission (EC).

“There is an obligation to submit the return of candidates’ poll expenses before the returning officer concerned within 30 days after the announcement of election result (in gazette),” said a letter the EC sent to returning officers on Wednesday.

The EC also asked the returning officers to send the submitted return of election expenses to the Commission by 25 March.

According to the Article 44C (1) of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, every election agent of a contesting candidate shall, within thirty days after the publication of the name of the returned candidate, submit to the Returning Officer a return of election expenses in the prescribed form.

Since the official election result was published on 13 February, the return of a candidate’s election expenses must be submitted by 15 March.

A total of 2,028 candidates ran in the 12 February parliamentary election held in 299 constituencies (except Sherpur-3) across the country. The contestants include 1,755 nominated by 50 political parties and 273 independent candidates.

The EC published the names and address of 297 elected MP candidates in a gazette on 13 February, keeping the election result of Chattogram-2 and 4 constituencies withheld in line with the court’s decisions.

The newly elected MPs include 209 BNP ones, 68 Jamaat MPs, seven independent MPs and six NCP MPs, two Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis MPs, one MP each of Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP, Ganaodhikar Parishad, Ganasamhati Andolan, Khelafat Majlish and Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

The political parties that participated in the recent general election will have to submit an expenditure statement to the Election Commission within 90 days after the completion of election.

“Every political party nominating any candidate for election shall submit to the [Commission, for its scrutiny, within ninety days] of the completion of election in all constituencies, an expenditure statement giving details of the expenses incurred or authorised by it in connection with the election of its candidates for the period from the date of publication of the notification under clause of Article 11 till the completion of elections in all the constituencies in which it has set up candidates,” states the article 44CCC (1) of the RPO, 1972.