A total of 164 appeals have so far been filed against returning officers' decisions regarding the acceptance and rejection of nomination papers for the upcoming national election.
According to the Election Commission (EC), 122 appeal applications were submitted on the second day alone.
The information was confirmed on Tuesday by officials at the EC's central booth responsible for receiving appeal applications.
As per the election schedule, the submission of appeal applications will continue until 9 January. The appeals will be heard and disposed of between 10 and 18 January.
The last date for withdrawal of candidacy is 20 January. On 21 January, returning officers will publish the final list of candidates and allocate electoral symbols.
Election campaigning will begin on January 22 and will continue until 7:30am on 10 February. The polling will take place on February 12.
According to the EC’s notice on filing, hearing, and disposal of appeals, any candidate, bank, financial institution, or government service provider dissatisfied with a Returning Officer’s decision may submit a memorandum appeal to the commission within five days of scrutiny.
Each appeal must include one original set and six photocopies of the relevant documents.
Aggrieved candidates or their authorised representatives may submit appeals between January 5 and January 9 by 5:00 pm at a dedicated centre established in front of the EC building in Agargaon.
Hearings of the submitted appeals will take place at the EC Auditorium (Basement-2) from January 10 to 18, to be presided over by the full commission.
The schedule is as follows: January 10 – appeals 1 to 70, January 11 – 71 to 140, January 12 – 141 to 210, January 13 – 211 to 280, January 14 – 281 to 350, January 15 – 351 to 420, January 16 – 421 to 490, January 17 – 491 to 560, and January 18 – 561 onwards.
Following the hearings, decisions will be displayed on monitors, PDF copies of rulings will be sent to the e-mail accounts of Returning Officers and concerned parties, and published on the EC website.
Copies will also be distributed through EC reception desks according to schedule: rulings for January 10-12 will be released on January 12, while rulings for January 13-15 on January 15, and rulings for January 16-18 on January 18, sources said.
