53 submit nominations for women’s reserved seats

A total of 53 aspirants have submitted nomination papers to the Election Commission (EC) over the past 14 days to contest the 50 reserved women’s seats in the 13th National Parliament.

The deadline for submission ended yesterday.

EC officials said the BNP-led alliance submitted 36 nomination papers, the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance 13, and one came from an independent alliance.

“We received 36 nominations from BNP and its allies, 13 from Jamaat’s alliance, and one from an independent candidate, Sultana Jesmin. Their candidacies will be scrutinised during verification,” said EC Joint Secretary and Returning Officer Md Moin Uddin Khan.

He added t hat three nominees -- Shamma Akter, Mst Mehrunnesa, and Mahbuba Rahman -- also filed as independents outside any party or alliance.

The EC announced the election schedule on April 8, setting May 12 as the polling date. Nomination paper sales began the same day, with a total of 464 aspirants collecting forms.

Scrutiny will be held on April 22–23. Appeals can be filed on April 26, with hearings on April 27–28. The last date for withdrawal is April 29, and electoral symbols will be allocated on April 30.