Bangladesh’s Election Commission has asked political parties and candidates not to conduct any electoral campaign before the symbol allocation for the upcoming national election scheduled to be held on February 12 next. “No political party, candidate or any person on their behalf can’t engage in the electoral campaign before the electoral symbols are allocated on January 21,” the EC said in a media release on Monday. The deadline for submission of nomination papers expired on December 29, while the scrutiny of nomination papers, started on December 30, concluded on Sunday. The returning officers also rejected the nomination papers of 723 others, while they did not scrutinise three nomination papers of BNP chairperson late Begum Khaleda Zia. The election campaign will start on January 22 and continue till 48 hours before the balloting period (7:30am on February 10).
