Candidacy withdrawal deadline ends today

Today is the last day for candidates to withdraw their nominations for the 13th national parliamentary election, scheduled for February 12.

The Election Commission (EC) will allocate electoral symbols to political parties and candidates from tomorrow, while electioneering will officially begin on Thursday (January 22).

In a circular, the EC stated that under Article 16 of the Representation of the People Order, 1972, a duly nominated candidate may withdraw their candidacy by submitting a signed written notice to the returning officer—either personally or through an authorised representative—on or before the stipulated date.

Once a written notice of withdrawal is submitted or a party finalises its nomination, it cannot be withdrawn or cancelled under any circumstances, the EC said.

The returning officer will display a copy of the withdrawal notice and the party's finalised nomination at a visible place in his office.

The day after withdrawal, the returning officer will publish the list of contesting candidates.

A total of 2,568 aspirants submitted nomination papers to contest the election from the country's 300 constituencies by the December 29 deadline.

On January 4, the EC declared the nomination papers of 1,842 candidates valid and 723 others invalid.

A total of 645 appeals were filed between January 5 and 9, with the EC hearing appeals between January 10 and 18.