Bangladesh’s Election Commission has declared the nomination of independent candidate Tasnim Jara valid for the 13th national parliamentary election, overturning an earlier decision that cancelled her nomination for the Dhaka-9 constituency.
The decision was announced on Saturday after the commission upheld Tasnim Jara’s appeal following a hearing held at the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon, in the capital.
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, Tasnim Jara said the commission had accepted her appeal and confirmed her eligibility to contest the election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-9.
“Over the past week, I have gone through a very different kind of experience,” she said. “People at home and abroad have sent their good wishes and prayers. When I spoke to people on the streets, many expressed frustration and pain and told me they were praying for me.”
She thanked those who supported her during the appeal process and expressed gratitude to the Election Commission for its decision. Tasnim Jara also said she would apply for her preferred football election symbol as an independent candidate, noting that the final decision would rest with the commission.
Tasnim Jara previously served as senior joint member secretary of the National Citizen Party (NCP). After leaving the party, she submitted her nomination papers to contest the Dhaka-9 seat as an independent candidate.
Her nomination was initially cancelled on January 3 following scrutiny by the returning officer. Dhaka Divisional Additional Commissioner (Revenue) Md Azmal Hossain said at the time that although the required number of voter signatures — 4,300 — had been submitted, verification found that two of the 10 listed proposers and supporters were not registered voters in the Dhaka-9 constituency.
Under electoral rules, this led to the cancellation of her nomination, though candidates are entitled to appeal such decisions to the Election Commission.
The commission said Tasnim Jara’s case was among hundreds of appeals filed against returning officers’ decisions during the scrutiny process for the upcoming parliamentary election.
According to the Election Commission, a total of 645 appeals have been lodged. The appeal submission period ran from January 5 to January 9, with the highest number of appeals — 176 — filed on the final day.
Appeal hearings began on Saturday and will continue until January 18. Hearings for appeals numbered 1 to 70 were held on Saturday, followed by appeals 71 to 140 on Sunday, 141 to 210 on Monday, and 211 to 280 on Tuesday.
The hearings are taking place daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm at the Election Building auditorium in Agargaon, with dates for subsequent hearings to be announced later.
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