557 nominations declared invalid
Courtesy New Age 5/12/08
The Election Commission found invalid 557 out of the 2,456 nomination papers filed for the December 29 general elections on the last day of scrutiny on Thursday.
EC Secretariat officials said the nomination papers were found invalid because of misinformation, loan default and conviction, according to reports reaching from the returning officers.
Sixty-three nomination papers, the highest among the districts, were found invalid in
Most of the nominations, mostly of independent candidates, were cancelled because the aspirants either failed to submit the signatures of 1 per cent of the voters of the constituency or submitted fake signatures.
Candidates, in cases of rejection of nomination papers, could file appeals, through authorised persons, by December 7. The Election Commission will begin hearing appeals on December 6, said a commission release.
The aspirants whose nominations were cancelled have already started filing appeals with the commission. The commission also received some appeals against the acceptance of nomination papers, election officials said.
The commission declared invalid the nomination papers of a number of stalwarts of both the political alliances mainly because of bank loan defaults.
The nomination papers of the stalwarts such as Awami League candidate, deputy commander-in-chief of the war of independence AK Khandker, now the chairman of the Sector Commanders’ Forum, for the Pabna 2 constituency, Giasuddin Quader Chowdhury of the BNP for Chittagong 6, Kazi Zafar Ullah of the Awami League for Faridpur 4, ASM Firoz of the Awami League for Patuakhali 2, Mirza Abbas of the BNP for Dhaka 8 and 9 and his wife, Afroza Abbas, also of the BNP for Dhaka 8, HM Ershad of the Jatiya Party for Habiganj 3 and Proshika chief Quazi Faruk Ahmed, also the president of the newly launched United Citizens’ Movement, for Khulna 2 were cancelled.
Forty-two loan defaulters have taken recourse to law to qualify for contesting the elections, according to the finance adviser, AB Mirza Azizul Islam.
The commission has decided not to appeal against the High Court orders on defaulters because of time constraint. ‘We will accept High Court verdicts because we do not have time in hand,’ election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said as he addressed a training programme organised for the members of the election inquiry committees, comprised of senior district judges, in the National Economic Council auditorium in the morning.
The BNP candidates whose nominations were cancelled in the two days of scrutiny include Shah Alam Reza for Faridpur 4, Rafiqul Islam Jamal for Jhalakati 1 and Majeda Ahsan for Comilla 4. There were no other BNP candidates for the constituencies.
Nomination papers of Dipen Dewan for the Rangamati constituency, Eklakh Hossain for Rajshahi 1, Shahidul Alam Talukder for Patuakhali 2, MR Islam Sadhin for Borga 2, Anisur Rahman and Ali Hasan for Bogra 4, Khondaker Mahbubar Rahman and SM Shafiuzzaman for Bogra 5, Nadim Mostafa’s wife Nurun Naher Parul for Rajshahi 5, Tofazzal Hossain Tapu for Rajshahi 4, Mizanur Rahman for Chapainawabganj 1 and Kabir Ahmed Bhuiyan for Lakshmipur 2 were cancelled as the BNP finally nominated other candidates for the constituencies.
The Awami Leauge candidates whose nominations were cancelled include AK Khandker for Pabna 2, Abdus Salam for Mymensingh 9, ASM Firoz for Patuakhali 2, Mohammad Ali for Noakhali 6, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury for Feni 2 and Harunur Rashid for Lakshmipur 2.
Nomination papers of Tajul Islam Mohammed Faruk for Rajshahi 5, Majibur Rahman Majnu for Bogra 5, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir for Chandpur 1, Sohrab Hossain for Kishoreganj 2, Jalaluddin Talukdar for Netrakona 1, Noor Khan for Netrakona 2, Shafi Ahmed for Netrakona 4 and Shamsuddin Ahmed for Manikganj 2 were cancelled, but there are other Awami League candidates for all the constituencies. Most of the nominations were rejected as the party finally nominated others to contest the polls.
Nomination papers of Proshika chief Quazi Faruk Ahmed, also the president of the newly launched United Citizens’ Movement, was also cancelled.
The New Age correspondent in Pabna said the returning office had cancelled the nomination paper of AK Khandker for Pabna 2 because of loan default.
The election authorities said AK Khandker, as the chairman of private airlines Air Parabat, had taken a loan from the Motijheel branch IFIC Bank in
The Pabna Bar Association secretary,
The correspondent in Sylhet said 42 nomination papers had been declared valid and 6 cancelled in the district Thursday. All the six applicants filed nomination to contest the polls as independent candidates.
The correspondent in Rangamati said the nomination papers of Dipen Dewan of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Ushaton Talukdar of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti were cancelled on the day of scrutiny, said sources in the office of the returning officer in Rangamati.
The nomination paper of Dipen Dewan was cancelled as he was yet to pass the time required to contest polls after quitting government job. Ushaton’s nomination paper was cancelled as he had not resigned from the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council, sources said.
The returning officer found valid the nomination papers of seven other aspirants — Maitri Chakma, wife of Dipen Dewan of the BNP, Kaniska Chakma as an independent candidate, Moni Swapan Dewan of the Liberal Democratic Party, Jasimuddin Kabir as an independent candidate, Alo Rani Aich of the Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Dipankar Talukdar of the Awami League and Sukriti Jiban Khisha of the Jatiya Party (Ershad), the sources said.
The correspondent in Mymensingh said 13 out of 86 nomination papers for 11 constituencies in the district were cancelled. The nomination paper of Awami League candidate, former lawmaker Abdus Salam, for the Mymensingh 9 constituency was cancelled.
The correspondent in Nilphamari said 10 nomination papers were cancelled in the district. Two nomination papers were cancelled on the last day of scrutiny.
The aspirants are NK Alam Chowdhury for Nilphamari 1 for filing two nomination papers for the same constituency as Jatiya Party and independent candidates.
The nomination paper of Gana Forum leader Abdur Rouf, also a former Awami League whip in the parliament, for the constituency was cancelled because of loan default.
The correspondent in Rajshahi said the returning officer had cancelled nomination papers of 15 candidates in the district. Fifty-six aspirants, including 11 as independent candidates, submitted nomination papers for the six Rajshahi constituencies.
The final Awami League candidates are Omar Faruk Chowdhury for Rajshahi 1, Abdul Khaleque for Rajshahi 2, Meraz Mollah for Rajshahi 3, Enamul Haque for Rajshahi 4, Kazi Abdul Wadud Dara for Rajshahi 5 and Shahriar Alam for Rajshahi 6.
The BNP candidates are former inspector general of police Enamul Haque for Rajshahi 1, Mizanur Rahman Minu for Rajshahi 2, Kabir Hossain for Rajshahi 3, Abdul Gafur for Rajshahi 4, Nazrul Islam for Rajshahi 5 and Azizur Rahman for Rajshahi 6.
The correspondent in Kurigram said seven nomination papers were cancelled in the district. They are Jatiya Party candidate Abdus Salam for Kurigram 2, Abu Taher Khairul Haque for Kurigram 3 and Golam Habib Dulal for Kurigram 4 constituency.
The returning officer in Kurigram, Md Ashaduzzaman, said former lawmaker Golam Habib Dulal had shown his total assets worth to be Tk 30 lakh in the income tax return, but he had shown Tk.40 lakh in the nomination paper. The returning officer said he could appeal against the cancellation.
A total of 2,460 nomination papers were filed by contestants nominated by 39 political parties and 391 independent candidates.
The Bangladesh Bank provided the list of bank loan defaulters, based on which the returning officers declared the candidates disqualified.
In the June 2001 general elections, 1,939 candidates contested the elections for the 300 seats, according to the statistics contained in a report prepared by the Election Commission.
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