The Election Commission (EC) announced that the appeal process for the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for Bangladesh’s 13th Jatiya Sangsad election commenced on Monday.
In a late Sunday notification, the EC stated that returning authorities found 1,842 nomination papers genuine and rejected 723 across 300 parliamentary constituencies after review.
The notification was signed by A S M Humayun Kabir, Director General of the National Identity Registration Wing and Chairman of the Central Coordination Committee for the 13th Parliamentary Election.
According to the election schedule, appeals against returning officers’ judgements can be lodged with the Election Commission between January 5 and January 9, up until 5:00 p.m. Any aggrieved candidate, as well as banks, financial institutions, government agencies, or people permitted in writing by a candidate, is eligible to file an appeal within the term specified.
According to EC data, Dhaka had the highest number of valid nomination papers, with 309 accepted and 133 rejected across 41 parliamentary seats. The Cumilla region followed, with 259 nominations accepted and 97 rejected for 35 seats.
According to region-specific numbers, 219 nomination papers were certified legitimate in Rangpur, with 59 being rejected for 33 seats. In Rajshahi, 185 nominations were accepted and 74 rejected for 39 seats, while Khulna had 196 valid nominations and 79 rejections for 36 seats.
In Barishal, 131 nominations were approved and 31 were denied for 21 seats. In Mymensingh, 199 applications were accepted and 112 were rejected across 38 seats. In Faridpur, 96 nominations were approved and 46 were rejected for 15 seats.
The Sylhet region received 110 legitimate nominations and 36 rejections for 19 seats, while Chattogram received 138 nominations and 56 rejections for 23 seats.
The Election Commission stated that appeals will be heard and resolved between January 10 and January 18.
An appeal centre has been established inside the Election Commission office in Agargaon, Dhaka, to help with the appeals process. Ten booths have been set up on a regional basis to receive appeals.
Each booth has been assigned to a specific district within a different administrative area, which covers all constituencies across the country.
The referendum and the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election are set to take place on February 12, 2026.
