Voting in Naogaon-2 postponed as candidate dies
The Election Commission (EC) has postponed the voting to Naogaon-2 constituency after an independent candidate Aminul Haque passed away, eight days before the national elections slated for 7 January.
Following a meeting at the EC office in the capital's Agargaon on Friday afternoon,
Ashok Kumar Debnath, additional secretary of the EC, told reporters that the voting in Naogaon-2 is being postponed as per Section-17 of the Representation of the People Order (RPO).
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The EC will reschedule the voting in this constituency. New candidates may join the race after the rescheduling, he added.
Aminul Haque died on Friday hours after being allocated the election symbol for the 12th parliamentary election.
He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Dhaka in the morning, said Aminul's son Asiful Haque.
Aminul wanted to contest the election from the Naogaon-2 constituency with the Awami league's "boat" symbol.
However, after failing to secure the Awami League's nomination, he submitted papers to contest the election as an independent. But the Election Commission cancelled his candidature, citing various discrepancies in his nomination papers.
Later, Aminul filed a writ petition with the High Court to reinstate his candidature.
After hearing the writ, the High Court ruled on 27 December that his candidature was valid. Later, the "eagle" symbol was allocated to him by the Naogaon Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer's office on 28 December.
Apart from Aminul Haque, there are three more candidates in the Naogaon-2 constituency. They are — Awami League-nominated candidate and incumbent MP Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Jatiya Party candidate Tofazzal Hossain, and independent candidate Awami League leader Akhtarul Islam.
