A total of 164 candidates have filed appeals with Election Commission (EC) in first two days, challenging returning officers’ decisions on the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers for the upcoming February 12 national election.

According to EC’s Central Booth, 122 petitions were submitted on Tuesday and 42 on Monday.

The commission will continue receiving appeals until January 9. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin and the Election Commission will then hear and dispose of the petitions between January 10 and 18.

During the five-day scrutiny period from December 30 to January 4, 69 returning officers; including two divisional commissioners (Dhaka and Chattogram), 64 district deputy commissioners and three regional election commissioners (Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna), validated the nomination papers of 1,842 candidates and rejected 723 others.

A total of 2,568 aspirants had submitted nomination papers by December 29 deadline to contest 300 constituencies in the 13th parliamentary election.

The Election Commission had announced the election schedule on December 11, 2025, confirming that the national election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order will be held simultaneously on February 12, 2026.

Under the schedule, the last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 20. Campaigning will run from January 22 until 7:30 AM on February 10, 48 hours before the start of voting.