The Election Commission (EC) has asked political parties and candidates not to start election campaigns before electoral symbols are allocated. The national election will be held on February 12.
In a media release on Monday, the EC said no party, candidate, or anyone on their behalf can campaign before January 21, when symbols will be allocated.
The EC asked all candidates to follow the election code of conduct. It also said campaigning must stop 48 hours before voting starts.
The EC announced the schedule for the 13th national election and a referendum on December 12. Both will be held together on February 12, 2026.
The deadline to submit nomination papers was December 29. Scrutiny started on December 30 and ended on January 4.
In total, 2,568 candidates submitted nomination papers for 300 seats. After checking, 1,842 candidates were approved. Nomination papers of 723 candidates were rejected. Three nomination papers of late BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia were not checked.
Candidates who are unhappy with the decisions can appeal to the EC from January 6 to January 9. The EC will hear appeals from January 10 to 18.
The last date to withdraw from the race is January 20. Election campaigning will start on January 22 and end at 7:30 am on February 10, 48 hours before polling.
