The Appeal Division has cancelled the nomination of BNP-endorsed candidate Engineer Manjurul Ahsan Munshi for the Comilla-4 (Debidwar) constituency in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The court’s ruling on Sunday means Munshi will not be able to contest in this election, leaving the BNP without a candidate in the seat. As a result, Hasnat Abdullah, nominated by the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami and serving as the chief organizer of NCP’s southern region, now faces a significantly weakened field.

Earlier, on January 21, the High Court had dismissed Munshi’s writ petition challenging the cancellation of his nomination. The Appeal Division has now rejected his leave-to-appeal petition, finalizing his disqualification. With no BNP or independent contenders remaining, Abdullah’s main competition now comes from candidates of smaller parties including Gano Adhikar Parishad, Insoniyat Biplob Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

The withdrawal of Jamaat’s previous nominee Saiful Islam Shahid and the absence of any BNP replacement have further cleared the way for Hasnat Abdullah’s likely victory in the constituency.