The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

More than one hundred candidates are going to be dropped from the initial list of the 1,572 candidates for the scheduled parliamentary elections, as they have lost support of their respective parties.

These, candidates, though did not withdraw their nomination papers of their own, will be considered so, as their parties have withdrawn support from them," an Election Commission official told the New Nation yesterday.

"They can't run as independent candidates, as they had qualified initially as party nominees, without adding the documents of support of one per cent voters of their constituencies," he added.

As the deadline for withdrawal was over at 10:00pm Thursday, the EC yesterday announced a total of 1,572 remaining candidates as valid for 299 seats in the ninth parliamentary elections scheduled for December 29.

But the EC officials could not term the list as final, for the defiant party candidates, who did not withdraw despite their parties sacrificing them for the shake of the alliances, will be shed from the final candidates' list.

"The EC will publish the final list of candidates and their election symbols tomorrow (Saturday)," EC Joint Secretary Rafiqul Islam said. "Two or more candidates from different parties and alliances stood from the same constituencies. After distributing election symbol to one candidate from one party or one alliance, candidature of others will be scrapped," he said.

The EC official said more than 100 such candidates, mostly from AL and BNP, might lose their candidatures.

According to electoral laws, one symbol will not be given to more than one candidate. So after a selected candidate from a party or an alliance gets a logo, the other candidates, if any, will lose their validity as candidate.

"As the deadline for withdrawal of candidature ended on Thursday, a number of candidates under major political parties and alliances did not withdraw," Islam said.

He added the EC would finalise the candidacy according to the 'list of preference' submitted by the parties or alliances for shared seats.

The EC had asked for a 'list of preference' from parties and alliances for candidates in certain constituencies, with the candidacies will be finalised on the basis of the list.

Earlier, 2,439 candidates filed nomination papers. After scrutiny 442 nomination papers were cancelled while 425 candidates withdrew from the race on Thursday, the last date of withdrawal of candidature.

The lowest number of 977 candidates was in the fourth parliamentary election held under HM Ershad's military regime in 1988. Both Awami League and BNP had boycotted the elections.

Bangladesh's first national election had 1,078 candidates, there were 1,450 in the sixth and 1,527 in the third.

EC officials said the upcoming elections will have fewer candidacies than before because of mandatory registration of political parties with the EC, the bar on dissident candidates and conditions imposed on independent candidates.

Awami League, as the key component of the 'grand alliance', has fielded 242 candidates; and its electoral allies Ershad-led Jatiya Party 49, Worker's Party of Bangladesh three, JSD (Inu) four and Ganotantree Party and Zaker Party one each.

The BNP has candidates in 256 constituencies, while its ally Jamaat has 38 and others have a total of four.

Awami League fielded 300 candidates for the eight parliamentary elections, while BNP fielded 252, Islami Oikya Front 281, Jamaat-e-Islami 31, Islami Oikya Jote seven, Jatiya Party (Naziur) 11 and Jatiya Party (Monju) 140.