In the 13th national parliamentary election, the nomination of Mahmudur Rahman Manna, the Nagorik Oikya–nominated candidate for Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency, has been declared invalid.
After verifying and scrutinising the nomination papers, district commissioner Md. Tofiqul Rahman, acting as the returning officer, announced the decision around 3:30 pm on Friday.
Returning officer Md. Tofiqul Rahman told Prothom Alo that Mahmudur Rahman Manna’s affidavit contains several inconsistencies. He did not provide any information about criminal cases in the affidavit. The affidavit he submitted was signed a day after it was executed. He also failed to submit the asset declaration form.
Due to these discrepancies, his nomination has been declared invalid. The returning officer added that Mahmudur Rahman Manna will have the right to appeal against this decision.
Mahmudur Rahman, in the meantime, has not answered his mobile phone when attempts were made to call him regarding the cancellation of his nomination paper.
Joint secretary of Nagorik Oikya, Sakib Anwar, was present as a representative of Mahmudur Rahman Manna during the verification of nomination papers.
He told Prothom Alo that Manna had signed the affidavit on the same day it was executed before the notary public.
He added that under pressure from leaders and workers supporting a rival candidate, the returning officer declared the nomination invalid. They plan to appeal this decision and are confident that Manna will regain his candidacy.
Manna, a two-time VP of Dhaka University Central Students' Union and a former leader of Awami League, had run for office several times before but never entered parliament. This time, he has received support from BNP
Meanwhile, the nomination of former Jatiya Party MP Shariful Islam Jinnah for the same seat has also been cancelled.
It is noted that appeals against the returning officer’s decision can be filed with the election commission between 5 and 9 January. The EC will resolve the appeals between January 10 and 18.
Earlier, on 29 December, the chamber court of the Appellate Division suspended for eight weeks the process of including Nagorik Oikya president Mahmudur Rahman Manna’s name on the list of loan defaulters (Credit Information Bureau or CIB).
As a result, his lawyer Syed Mamun Mahbub said there is legally no obstacle preventing him from contesting the upcoming parliamentary election.
Manna is a partner in Afaku Cold Storage Limited. He filed a writ petition in the High Court to suspend the process of including his name in the CIB report concerning a loan taken in the name of this cold storage from Islami Bank’s Bogura branch. The reason is that a loan defaulter is ineligible to contest elections.
Manna, a two-time VP of Dhaka University Central Students' Union and a former leader of Awami League, had run for office several times before but never entered parliament. This time, he has received support from BNP.
As a leader of an allied party, the decision to give him the Bogura-2 seat was announced at a press conference on 24 December by BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
However, the BNP-nominated candidate for the seat is the party leader Mir Shah Alam, who has formally submitted his nomination.