EC clears Huda, Abbas, Afroza, Aman's son to run for polls

The Election Commission has accepted the candidacy of former BNP leader Nazmul Huda on appeal for parliamentary elections, reports bdnews24.com.

The commission on Saturday also cleared BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas to run in the December 30 vote.

The returning officer had rejected Huda's nomination as he neither mentioned any party nor did he specify whether he wished to contest as an independent candidate.

The returning officer accepted Mirza Abbas' nomination, but his rival candidate Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon contested the decision.

Now the EC has scrapped Menon's petition.

Afroza Abbas, who also heads the Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, had been snubbed due to default loans and unpaid phone bills during scrutiny.

Nazmul Huda had floated the BNF alliance and later the Trinamool BNP after being ousted from the BNP as a member of its policymaking body.

He had sought the Awami League's ticket for the Dhaka-17 seat after joining the Grand Alliance led by the ruling party recently.

At the hearing, the EC dismissed BNP leader Amanullah Aman's appeal seeking nomination for Dhaka-2.

The returning officer had rejected his nomination because of his conviction.

His son Erfan Ibn Aman Omi, however, has retained candidacy for the seat consisted of Keraniganj and Kamrangirchar areas as the BNP nominee.

UNB adds: BNP could not reach a consensus over sharing seats with the partners of the Jatiya Oikyafront and 20-party alliances till Saturday night.

Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir held marathon meetings with the alliance leaders at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office, but failed to reach any understanding with them.

Talking to reporters while leaving the BNP chief's office after a meeting with Fakhrul, Gano Forum general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Montu said they had no misunderstanding with BNP over the seat-sharing. "We've told them to give seats to those who are popular and competent."

Asked how many seats BNP agreed to share with their party, Montu said they sought 10-12 seats from BNP and gave the party charge to finalise its decision on it.

He said they would collect the letters from BNP over the nomination from the alliance on Sunday morning.

A Gano Forum leader, wishing anonymity, said BNP agreed to share seven seats with their party while five each with Nagorik Oikya and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rab).

Meanwhile, BNP postponed issuing letters to its final candidates scheduled to begin at 8pm following demonstrations by supporters of some deprived nomination hopefuls.