The nomination of Dr Tasnim Jara, an independent candidate and former leader of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP), has been cancelled for the Dhaka-9 parliamentary constituency.

The decision was announced around 11:30am on Saturday by the Dhaka district returning officer.

Speaking to journalists, Jara said her nomination was rejected due to discrepancies in the signatures collected in support of her candidacy, which are required to be at least one percent of the constituency’s registered voters for an independent contender.

She explained that two of her supporters were unaware that they were not registered voters of Dhaka-9, adding that the Election Commission had provided no practical way for supporters to verify their constituency status, which led to the irregularities.

“Those two supporters did not know they were not voters of Dhaka-9. There was no mechanism from the Election Commission for them to check. That is why the mismatch occurred. We will appeal against the decision,” Jara said.

Describing the cancellation as a challenge in her electoral journey, she said she is prepared to face it and pursue all available legal options.