Eliza Zaman declared elected unopposed to reserved women's seat left vacant by Mishti

BNP-nominated candidate Eliza Zaman has been elected member of parliament unopposed in the by-election to a vacant reserved women's seat of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, as she had no rival. The Election Commission (EC) Secretariat confirmed the information in a formal notification issued on Monday morning.

The gazette, signed by Md Moin Uddin Khan, joint secretary of the Election Management-2 division, states that Eliza Zaman was the only candidate to submit a nomination paper for the by-election to the reserved women's seat '323 Women's Seat-23' of the Jatiya Sangsad by 4pm on October 26, in line with the announced schedule.

After scrutiny, the authorities declared her nomination paper valid.

As she did not withdraw her candidacy by 4pm on Sunday, the deadline set in the schedule, her name was published in the final list and she was formally declared elected under section 12(1) of the Jatiya Sangsad (Reserved Women's Seats) Election Act, 2004.

The seat fell vacant after the then women's MP Ferdousi Ahmed Mishti was ordered to resign by BNP chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, following intense controversy after her name became linked to an incident of attack, vandalism and looting at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur in the capital.

After she resigned on the head of government's instruction, the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat declared the seat vacant, following which the Election Commission announced the schedule for this by-election.