The Election Commission has approved the nomination papers of NCP leader Nusrat Tabassum for a women’s reserved seat

The nomination papers of NCP leader Nusrat Tabassum for a reserved women’s seat in the 13th parliament have been declared valid following scrutiny at the Election Commission headquarters on Saturday.

Returning Officer Md Moin Uddin Khan said the papers were accepted in compliance with a court order. “We accepted Nusrat Tabassum’s nomination paper in line with a court directive, and it has been declared valid during today’s scrutiny,” he stated.

Nusrat had initially submitted her nomination after the 4:00 pm deadline on April 21, the final day for filing, leading the returning officer to reject it. She subsequently challenged the decision in court, which ordered the Election Commission to accept her papers and proceed according to the law.

A candidate from the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, Nusrat said the issue of taking oath would only arise after the official gazette is published. “I am not thinking that far until the formalities are completed,” she said, adding that she would continue to represent her party and uphold her political beliefs regardless of her parliamentary status.

Reserved women’s seats in parliament are allocated among parties and alliances based on proportional representation. Under this system, the ruling BNP alliance nominated 36 candidates, the Jamaat alliance 13, and the independent alliance one, all of whom submitted their papers on April 21.

Among the Jamaat alliance nominees, the NCP had put forward two candidates—central Joint Member Secretary Mahmuda Alam Mitu and Joint Convenor Monira Sharmin. During scrutiny on April 23, all nominations were accepted except Monira’s, which was rejected.

Nusrat’s lawyer, Zahirul Islam Musa, said the law permits parties to nominate more than one candidate. “The NCP nominated two candidates. Monira Sharmin’s nomination was rejected on legal grounds,” he said. “She appealed, but the Election Commission dismissed it. She has now moved the High Court. If a different order comes, both the EC and the NCP will act accordingly.”