On the first day of appeal hearings at the Election Commission (EC), the candidacies of 51 aspirants were reinstated, while 16 appeals were rejected.

Decisions on three appeals were kept pending.

The EC held the appeal hearing on Saturday at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka, against decisions taken by returning officers over the scrutiny of nomination papers.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin presided over the hearing, with four election commissioners present. A total of 70 appeals, as scheduled, were heard on the first day.

Later, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that 52 appeals were approved, 15 were rejected and two appellants remained absent from the hearing and were therefore treated as rejected, while decisions on three appeals were kept pending.

Election officials said the candidacies of 51 aspirants – whose nomination papers had earlier been cancelled by returning officers – were restored after their appeals were allowed.

Those reinstated include Rangpur-4 independent candidate Md Shah Alam Bashar, Shariatpur-1 independent Mohammad Golam Mostafa, Shariatpur-3 Jatiya Party candidate Md Abdul Hannan, Narsingdi-1 Jatiya Party candidate Mohammad Mustafa Jamal, Narayanganj-4 Jatiya Party candidate Md Salauddin Khoka, Faridpur-4 Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis candidate Mizanur Rahman and Gazipur-5 Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis candidate Md Ruhul Amin.

Also reinstated were Chattogram-11 Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Md Nuruddin, Chapainawabganj-2 Jatiya Party candidate Md Khurshid Alam, Rajshahi-5 Bangladesh Supreme Party candidate Md Altaf Hossain Molla, Cumilla-1 Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal candidate Barua Monojit Dhimon, Lalmonirhat-1 independent Abu Sama Md Redwanul Haque, Dhaka-18 Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Md Anwar Hossain and Dhaka-9 independent candidate Tasnim Jara.

The list further includes Chandpur-2 Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Mansur, Madaripur-2 independent candidate Muha Kamrul Islam Said, Bogura-3 Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Md. Shahjahan Ali Talukder, Kishoreganj-4 independent candidate Md Shahin Reza Chowdhury, Kishoreganj-5 independent Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal, Kishoreganj-1 Khilafat Majlis candidate Ahmed Ali, Chandpur-1 Jatiya Party candidate Habib Khan, Cumilla-9 Khilafat Majlis candidate Md Abdul Haque Amin and Netrokona-4 Revolutionary Workers Party candidate Champa Rani Sarkar.

Also regaining their candidacy were Mymensingh-7 BNP candidate Dr Md. Mahabubur Rahman, Panchagarh-1 and 2 Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) candidate Al Rashed Prodhan, Narsingdi-5 Bangladesh Islamic Front candidate Mashiur Rahman, Magura-2 Jatiya Party candidate Mashiar Rahman, Kishoreganj-4 independent candidate Kazi Reha Kabir, Habiganj-4 AB Party candidate Mokammel Hossain, Gaibandha-1 independent candidate Md Mustafa Mohsin and Gopalganj-2 independent candidate Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan.

The restored list also includes Jhalokati-1 Jatiya Party candidate Md Kamruzzaman Khan, Cox’s Bazar-2 Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami candidate AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, Shariatpur-1 independent candidate Syed Nazrul Islam, Gazipur-3 Islami Oikya Jote candidate HM Mufti Shamim Ahmed, Tangail-1 independent candidate Mohammad Ali, Shariatpur-1 Bangladesh Supreme Party candidate Nur Mohammad Mia, Gazipur-2 independent candidate Md Salahuddin Sarkar, Gazipur-1 Jatiya Party candidate SM Shafiqul Islam, Kishoreganj-1 Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis candidate Hedayatullah Hadi and Gazipur-5 Jatiya Party candidate Dr Md Safiuddin Sarkar.

Others whose candidacies were restored are Feni-1 Bangladesh Congress candidate Firoz Uddin Chowdhury, Habiganj-1 Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) candidate Kazi Tofail Ahmed, Bogura-6 Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal candidate Dilruba, Narsingdi-2 Insaniat Biplob Bangladesh candidate Mohammad Ibrahim, Narail-2 Jatiya Party candidate Khandaker Fayequzzaman, Dinajpur-6 independent candidate Md Shahnewaz Firoz Shuvo Shah, Khulna-5 Jatiya Party candidate Shamim Ara Parvin (Yasmin), Dhaka-18 Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) candidate Syed Harun-or-Rashid and Kurigram-2 Jatiya Party candidate Panir Uddin Ahmed.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission rejected the appeals of Narsingdi-4 Bangladesh Congress candidate Kazi Shariful Islam, Bagerhat-1 Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Mujibur Rahman Shamim, Rangpur-1 Jatiya Party candidate Md Manjum Ali, Gopalganj-2 independent candidate Roni Mollah, Dhaka-3 independent candidate Md Monir Hossain, Khulna-6 independent candidate Md Asadul Biswas, Dhaka-3 Jatiya Party candidate Md. Faruk, Natore-1 Khelafat Majlis candidate Md Azabul Haque, Narail-1 independent candidate Md Ujjal Mollah, Pabna-3 Gana Adhikar Parishad candidate Md Hasanul Islam, Khulna-3 independent candidate Abdur Rauf Mollah who was absent from the hearing, Cumilla-1 independent candidate Abu Zayed Al Mahmud, Dhaka-18 independent candidate Md Mohiuddin Howlader, Cox’s Bazar-3 Md Ilias Mia and Brahmanbaria-5 independent candidate Musa Siraji.

Decisions on the appeals of Munshiganj-3 independent candidate Md Mohiuddin, Jashore-5 independent candidate Md Kamruzzaman and Patuakhali-3 independent candidate Mizanur Rahman Babu were kept pending.