In the 13th National Parliamentary Election, returning officers across the country have rejected the nomination papers of 723 candidates in all 300 constituencies. This means that nearly 28 percent of all submitted nominations were disqualified.

A total of 2,568 nomination papers were submitted nationwide. After scrutiny, 1,842 candidates were declared eligible. Former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had nomination papers submitted in three constituencies. However, following her death on December 30, the Election Commission (EC) stated that her nominations in Feni-1, Bogura-7, and Dinajpur-3 were not taken into consideration.

The EC released the final figures on accepted and rejected nominations on Sunday night. According to the data, nominations were cancelled for 25 BNP candidates, 10 Jamaat-e-Islami candidates, 3 National Citizen Party (NCP) candidates, 39 Islamic Movement Bangladesh candidates, 59 Jatiya Party candidates, 25 Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) candidates, and 338 independent candidates. The remaining rejected candidates belonged to other political parties. Many BNP nominations were cancelled because party endorsement documents were not submitted, indicating rebel candidacies.

Appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nominations can be filed with the Election Commission between January 5 and January 9. Regional booths have been set up in front of the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, to receive appeal applications.

Reports from different districts indicate that on the final day of scrutiny, the nomination of Mujibul Haque Chunnu, former Jatiya Party secretary general, was cancelled in Kishoreganj-3. Several BNP rebel candidates also lost their nominations in multiple districts.

Three Jamaat-e-Islami candidates were disqualified on the last day. In Kurigram-3, a candidate’s nomination was cancelled due to dual citizenship issues, triggering protests by party supporters. In Netrokona-5, a Jamaat candidate was disqualified for concealing information about a legal case. Another Jamaat candidate in Chattogram-9 also lost eligibility over dual citizenship complications.

In Chattogram’s 16 constituencies, 42 out of 143 nominations were rejected after scrutiny. In Faridpur-1, seven previously suspended nominations were later approved after corrections were submitted within the deadline.

The Election Commission said appeals will be resolved between January 10 and January 18. The deadline for withdrawing candidacy is January 20, symbols will be allocated on January 21, and election campaigning will begin thereafter. Voting is scheduled for February 12, the same day a referendum on the July National Charter will also be held.