EC validates Nusrat Tabassum after court order
The Election Commission (EC) has declared the nomination of Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance candidate and National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Nusrat Tabassum Jyoti valid for the reserved women's seat of the 13th National Parliament.
Returning Officer and EC Joint Secretary Md Moin Uddin Khan officially confirmed the matter after the scrutiny of the nomination papers at Nirbachan Bhaban in city’s Agargaon area this afternoon.
He said Nusrat Tabassum was present at the commission at 11 am today as scheduled with all the necessary documents for the verification of her nomination papers.
Her nomination papers were accepted as valid as the documents were verified, the signatures of the proposer, supporter and the coordinator of the alliance were complete, he said.
Moin further said the declared valid nomination papers will now be presented to the EC for final approval.
If the commission approves, it will be published in the form of a gazette, he said.
After declaring her nomination papers valid, Nusrat Tabassum told reporters that some official procedures, including gazette publication and oath, are still pending.
“However, whether I am in parliament or not, I will always maintain the representation of my party and my political ideology equally,” she said.
Earlier, on April 21, the returning officer did not accept her nomination papers because she was only 19 minutes late after 4 pm.
Later, when she filed a writ in the High Court, the court accepted her nomination papers on April 27 and ordered scrutiny according to the law.
Following the court's order, the nomination papers were accepted on April 29 and its scrutiny date was set for May 2.
Meanwhile, the candidacy of another candidate nominated by NCP, Monira Sharmin, has already been canceled due to legal complications.
She went to court against this decision.
However, returning officer Moin Uddin Khan said the EC has not yet received a copy of any written order from the court in this regard.
If the order is received, he said, further action will be taken accordingly.
On April 30, the EC published the final gazette of 49 MPs out of 50 posts of reserved women seats in the 13th national parliament. As there are equal numbers of candidates against the vacant posts and no one withdrew their candidature, they were declared elected unopposed.
According to the published gazette, 36 women MPs have been elected from the BNP-led alliance, 12 from the Jamaat-led alliance and one from the independent alliance.
