The Election Commission has rejected the appeal of Monira Sharmin, the National Citizens Party (NCP) candidate for a reserved women’s seat, upholding the earlier cancellation of her nomination. The decision came on Monday, April 27, 2026, around 11 a.m., following a lengthy hearing at the commission. Sharmin had filed her appeal the previous day, April 26, after her nomination was initially canceled during scrutiny on April 23.

According to the commission’s earlier decision, Sharmin’s nomination was invalidated because three years had not passed since her resignation from a government job. In her statement to reporters after submitting the appeal, she argued that the law used to cancel her nomination was being interpreted too rigidly and that it undermined the purpose of the reserved women’s seat system. She emphasized that as a junior bank officer with only two years of service, she had held no administrative authority or capacity to influence decisions.

On April 22, the returning officer had declared 12 out of 13 nominations valid from the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, excluding Sharmin’s candidacy.