Many councillor aspirants petition EC for accepting late applications

Many councillor aspirants, who failed to file applications by the deadline, appealed yesterday to the Election Commission and returning officers (ROs) requesting them to accept their applications for contesting Dhaka city corporation polls.

They claimed that they had to stand in long queues to submit the applications at the ROs' offices for hours before the deadline expired.

Later, the officials refused to receive those when it crossed 5:00pm, alleged the councillor aspirants of both Dhaka South City Corporation, and Dhaka North City Corporation.

Election to the bifurcated Dhaka city corporations, and Chittagong city corporation will be held on April 28 and the deadline for filing applications expired on Sunday 5:00pm.

Nirob Hossain Masud, who claimed to be a BNP-backed councillor aspirant from ward-30 (Mohammadpur-Adabor), said the respective officials of DNCC did not receive his application although he entered the office room at 5:00pm before the deadline.

When asked, Returning Officer Shah Alam of DNCC said Nirob and others, who made similar complaints, came to the office after the deadline.

On behalf of over a dozen of councillor aspirants of wards reserved for women, former AL lawmaker Nazma Akhter, also president of Jubo Mahila League, yesterday met Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad.

These women faced similar difficulties in submitting their applications, claimed Nazma.

The CEC assured her of looking into it, Nazma told The Daily Star.

Besides, 20 other aspirants appealed to the RO of DNCC on the issue showing almost the same reason behind their failure in filing applications on time.

Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz said the returning officers were authorised to decide whether the applications for candidacies would be accepted or not.