Some 300 candidates, out of 880 across the country, pulled out from the January-5 general electoral race, according to data provided by the Election Commission Secretariat on Saturday. A total of 149 candidates of HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party withdrew their candidature by the December-13 deadline following the party chairman’s request. Besides, 44 candidates of he ruling Awami League, 31 independent candidates, 19 of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Jasad, 15 of Anwar Hossain Manju-led Jatiya Party-JP, 10 of Bangladesh Islamic Front, seven of Menon-led Bangladesh Workers’ Party, six of newly-floated BNF, six of Tarikat Federation, four of Bangladesh Jatiya Party, three of National Awami League, two of Khelafat Majlish and one of Islamic Front Bangladesh withdrew their candidatures. A total of 1107 aspirants filed their nomination papers, but 880 nomination papers found valid after the scrutiny of the papers on December 5 and 6. With the withdrawal of some 300 candidatures, the number of contesting candidates now stands at 580 in the country’s 300 constituencies, the lowest in the country’s election history. On November 25, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad announced the schedule for the country’s 10th parliamentary election. – UNB
