19 Out of 36 appeals approved by noon

Bangla Press Desk:  The Election Commission (EC) has approved by noon 19 out of 36 appeals in the third day of hearings on appeals filed against decisions made by returning officers for the 13th national parliamentary election.

Meanwhile, 13 appeals were rejected and four remained pending.

The EC began the appeal hearings at 10:00am on Monday. Although 70 appeals were scheduled to be heard throughout the day, decisions on 36 appeals were reached by noon.

The Commission rejected several appeals on various grounds, including dual citizenship, loan default, and failure to submit documents verifying signatures of at least 1% of voters required for independent candidates.

Among them, Jamaat candidate AKM Fazlul Haque from the Chattogram-9 constituency was once again excluded from the race due to allegations of dual citizenship. During the decision, he accused the EC of biased conduct.

In addition, the Commission rejected the appeals of several other candidates, including NCP candidate GA Mubin from the Natore-2 constituency.

A total of 645 appeals were submitted to the EC against the decisions of returning officers. The appeal hearings, which began last Saturday, will continue until 18 January.

BP/SP