National polls nomination deadline ends today

The deadline for the submission of nomination papers for the 13th Parliamentary Election is set to expire at 5:00 pm on Monday, December 29, according to the polls schedules announced by the Election Commission (EC).

Candidates, both party-backed and independent, can submit their papers to Returning Officers and Assistant Returning Officers between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.

A total of 58 registered political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat, and NCP, are eligible to contest. The Awami League will not participate as its political activities remain banned and its registration suspended.

Party-backed candidates must submit official endorsement certificates, while independent candidates must provide a supporter list equal to 1 percent of the constituency’s voters. Former MPs are exempt from this requirement. Nomination papers must also include a Tk 50,000 security deposit, affidavits, and other required documents. The Election Commission has restricted the number of people present during submission to five and banned processions or demonstrations.

The election schedule was announced by Chief Election Commissioner AAM Nasir Uddin on December 11. 

According to the Election Commission Secretariat’s Central Coordination Committee, nomination papers for the 300 parliamentary seats have seen significant interest, with 3,144 papers collected and 116 submitted as of Sunday.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said the Commission may consider extending the deadline by one or two days if major parties request it, but no formal request has been received so far. 

Any extension would require approval from the five-member Commission, while keeping the polling date unchanged, he added.

Earlier, ASM Humayun Kabir, Director General of the EC’s NID Wing and Convener of the Central Coordination Committee, said 3,114 candidates across 10 administrative regions had collected nomination papers, while 166 had submitted them. The nomination process closes today at 5:00 pm, he said.

The full election schedule is as follows: nomination submission ends December 29; scrutiny December 30 this year to January 4, 2026; appeal filing January 5 to January 9; disposal of appeals January 10 to January 18; withdrawal of candidacy January 20; final candidate list and symbol allocation January 21; campaign period January 22 to February 10, 2026.

Polling will be held from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm on Thursday, February 12.

MOS/MHK