EC Validates 36 BNP and 1 Independent Candidate for Reserved Seats

The Election Commission (EC) has declared the nomination papers of 36 BNP-backed candidates and one independent alliance candidate valid for the reserved women's seats in the 13th parliamentary election.

During the scrutiny held at the Election Bhaban on Thursday, Returning Officer and EC Joint Secretary Moin Uddin Khan confirmed the eligibility of the 36-member BNP alliance list and independent alliance nominee Sultana Jasmin.

However, the commission rejected the papers of three independent aspirants—Mahbuba Rahman, Sharmin Akhter and Meherun Nesha citing a lack of required support from any political party or alliance.

Under the current proportional representation system, the 50 reserved seats are distributed based on the number of seats won by parties in the general election. For the 13th Parliament, the BNP alliance was allocated 36 seats, the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance 13 and the independent alliance one.

Assistant Returning Officer Mohammad Monir Hossain noted that since the number of valid candidates matches the allocated seats for the BNP and independent alliances, these candidates are expected to be elected uncontested following the withdrawal period.

The BNP Candidate List

The validated BNP list features a mix of veteran leaders, former MPs and representatives from ethnic minorities and associate organizations. Key names are Selima Rahman, Shirin Sultana, Rasheda Begum Hira, Rehana Akter Ranu, Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, and Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Sakila Farzana, Helen Zerin Khan, Jiba Amina Khan, Mahmuda Habiba, Sabira Sultana, Sansila Zebrin and 24 others.

While 12 candidates from the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance were validated on Wednesday, the nomination of NCP’s Monira Sharmin remains "stuck." Her eligibility is under review due to a legal requirement regarding the three-year cooling-off period after leaving government service. A final decision is expected Thursday afternoon.