A total of 2,568 candidates submitted nomination papers for Bangladesh’s 13th National Parliamentary Election. After four days of scrutiny, the Election Commission (EC) announced on Sunday that 1,842 candidates were declared valid while 726 nominations were rejected for various irregularities. The rejected candidates include Jatiya Party faction chairman Anisul Islam Mahmud and independent candidate Tasnim Zara. Appeals against acceptance or rejection can be filed from January 5 to 9 at the EC headquarters in Agargaon, with hearings scheduled between January 10 and 18. Voting is set for February 12.

The EC cited reasons such as false or missing affidavit information, concealment of cases, loan default, dual citizenship, and inconsistencies in voter signatures for independent candidates. In Dhaka, 63 nominations were rejected, though all BNP candidates were declared valid. Several candidates, including from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and smaller parties, said they would appeal the decisions. Regional officials confirmed that scrutiny was completed across most constituencies by Saturday.

The appeal process may alter the final list of candidates before the February election, depending on EC rulings.