The Election Commission has chosen to delay the announcement of the Chattogram-4 constituency result in the 13th national election due to an ongoing appeal before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. According to an official statement from the Election Commission Secretariat, this decision was made following a ruling by the Appellate Division on February 3 related to a writ petition that was previously addressed by the High Court Division.
On the specified day, the highest court determined that BNP candidate Mohammad Aslam Chowdhury could participate in the election for Chattogram-4 as per legal provisions. Nevertheless, it stipulated that the final declaration of the election outcome for the constituency would be on hold until the resolution of a leave-to-appeal petition contesting the High Court’s decision that validated his candidacy.
Abiding by the court’s directive, the commission stated that it is obligated by law to abstain from disclosing the result of the seat until a conclusive verdict is reached by the Appellate Division. The commission has advised the relevant entities to take appropriate actions in line with this instruction.
Furthermore, the Appellate Division granted permission for Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Md Anwar Siddique to move forward with his leave-to-appeal petition against the High Court’s ruling. Anwar’s legal representative, Advocate Mohammad Hossain Lipu, informed The Daily Star that his client challenged the Election Commission’s approval of Aslam’s candidacy, alleging that the BNP candidate has outstanding loans totaling Tk 2,100 crore from 23 banks.
Initially, Anwar filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the Election Commission’s decision, which was dismissed. Subsequently, he sought leave to appeal before the Appellate Division regarding that judgment, according to his lawyer.