Bangladesh Nationalist Party - BNP Assistant International Affairs Secretary, Barrister Rumeen Farhana, is set to be elected member of parliament (MP) to a seat reserved for women in parliament. BNP got one reserved seat for women in proportion to its five elected parliament members, local media reported.
Rumeen, daughter of late Language Movement hero, Oli Ahad, submitted her nomination form to the Election Commission on Monday (May 20). Rumeen said she submitted her nomination form to Returning Officer Abul Kashem when her party picked her as a lone candidate for election to the seat.
According to the election schedule announced by the Election Commission on May 8, Monday is the last day for BNP to field its candidate to the reserved seat for women.
The election is scheduled to be held on Jun 16, the date for scrutinizing nomination papers is May 21, and the withdrawal of candidature is May 28.
As BNP nominated only one candidate, Rumeen will be declared elected just after the expiry of the deadline for the withdrawal of candidature, said officials of the Election Commission.
The 50 seats reserved exclusively for women in parliament are distributed among political parties proportionate to their number of seats in parliament.
Since five BNP MPs-elect took oath at the last moment of the stipulated time, the Election Commission is arranging Rumeen's election to the one women's reserved seat her party is allotted. The commission has already completed the polls for the 49 other women's reserved seats.
Among the reserved seats, 43 women MPs were elected from the ruling Bangladesh Awami League, four from the main opposition Jatiyo Party, one from Workers’ Party and one independent.
