The District Returning Officer has officially allocated the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol to Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan for the Cumilla-10 (Nangalkot-Lalmai) constituency.
On Monday (January 26), Md. Sohel collected the symbol on behalf of the candidate from the office of the Cumilla District Returning Officer, Reza Hasan.
Legal Battle and Nomination Recovery
The allocation follows a complex legal journey. Initially, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had provided the party nomination form to former Member of Parliament Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan. At the same time, Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan had also filed his nomination for the seat.
However, during the initial scrutiny by the Election Commission, Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan’s candidacy was canceled because he failed to produce the official party authorization letter at that time. He subsequently challenged the Commission’s decision in the High Court. After a detailed hearing, the court validated his candidacy and directed the District Returning Officer to allocate him the party symbol.
Shift in Candidacy
The situation in Cumilla-10 shifted significantly due to another legal intervention. Nure Alam, another candidate from the same constituency, filed a writ petition against Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan, alleging the concealment of information.
The High Court consequently canceled the nomination of Abdul Gafur Bhuiyan, a ruling that remains in effect. Following this disqualification, the party issued an official nomination letter to Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan, which was then presented to the court to finalize his status as the official ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ candidate.
