EC declares five AL candidates elected

The Election Commission yesterday declared five Awami League (AL)-nominated candidates elected uncontested to the reserved seats for women in the parliament.
The new elected lawmakers are journalist AN Mahfuza Khatun known as Baby Maudud, AL's Women Affairs Secretary Fazilatunnesa Indira, acting Secretary of Mahila AL Pinu Khan, AL Chittagong unit chief Hasina Mannan, and Deputy Attorney General Fazilatunnesa Bappy.
The returning officer Mihir Sarwar Morshed declared their names uncontested after none of them withdrew their nomination papers as of Wednesday the last date for withdrawing of the nomination papers.
On Dec 1, the EC declared the nomination papers of the five candidates valid after scrutiny.
Awami League Parliamentary Board (ALPB) chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina finalised the five candidates for women's reserved seats in the parliament on November 26.
A total of 179 aspirants bought the party's nomination papers to contest for the reserved seats.
The Jatiya Sangsad passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the constitution on June 30, increasing the number of reserved seats for women from the existing 45 to 50.