HC Allows Jalal to Contest
Ctg by-poll gains momentum
Following a High Court directive allowing an independent candidate to contest, the January 17 by-polls to Chittagong-12 (Anwara-Paschim Patiya) constituency has now gained momentum.
The enthusiasm in the by-election almost died down with people assuming it would be a one-sided poll after the Election Commission on December 23, 2012 cancelled the nomination papers of Jalal Uddin Ahmed.
Jalal is the vice president of Chittagong South District Unit of BNP and contesting as an independent candidate as BNP was boycotting the election.
The remaining two contesting candidates are Ujjal Bhowmik of Gono Forum and Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed of Awami League.
The EC stated that Jalal's nomination paper was cancelled as he failed to submit signatures of one percent of voters of the constituency as required by the Representation of the People Order.
On December 27, 2012, the EC upheld the cancellation decision after rejecting Jalal's appeal against the decision. Afterwards, Jalal filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the decision.
On January 7, the HC stayed the decision for three months and issued a rule upon the EC to explain in three weeks why the decision should not be declared illegal.
Jalal yesterday said having deposited the certified copy of the HC directive, he received his electoral symbol, pineapple.
However, Farhad Ahmed, the returning officer of the by-poll, yesterday said no symbol was allocated for Jalal as the EC yesterday had filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking stay on the HC order.
AL candidate Saifuzzaman said he was not worried about who else was vying in the election. “I am doing my own work and am confident of my victory,†he said.
Tapan Chakraborty, another independent candidate whose nomination paper was cancelled on the same basis, has also filed a writ petition with the HC yesterday challenging the EC's decision.
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