49 lawmakers elected to reserved women’s seats take oath

Tonight, 49 Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) designated seats for women took the oath of office.

in 9:00 p.m., JS Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, gave the oath in front of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban’s oath chamber.

The oath-taking ceremony was led by Barrister Md Golam Sorwar Bhuiyan, Secretary of the Parliament Secretariat.

In accordance with parliamentary protocol, the legislators signed the oath book after being sworn in.

On the occasion, Leader of the House and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman congratulated the newly elected women MPs and urged them to play an effective role for the country’s development and to consolidate the democracy.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Law Minister Md Asaduzzman and State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, JS Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal and Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni were present on the occasion, among others.

The identities of 49 MPs elected unopposed to the reserved women seats of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad were previously announced in a gazette notification published by the Election Commission (EC) on April 30.

The gazette states that 36 MPs were chosen from the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its alliance based on the distribution of seats among political parties and alliances.

Additionally, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its alliance won 12 MPs, while a combination of six independent MPs won one female MP.

Those elected from the BNP-led alliance are Selima Rahman, Shirin Sultana, Rasheda Begum Hira, Rehana Akter Ranu, Newaz Halima Arli, Mst Farida Yasmin, Bilkis Islam, Sakila Farzana, Helen Jerin Khan, Nilofar Chowdhury Moni, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Jeba Amina Khan, Mahamuda Habiba, Mst Sabira Sultana, Sansila Jebrin, Sanjida Islam, Sultana Ahmed, Fahmida Haque, Anna Minj, Subarna Sikdar, Shamima Ara Begum Swapna, Mosammat Shammi Akter, Ferdousi Ahmed, Bithika Binte Hossain, Mst Suraiya Jerin, Mansura Akter, Joharat Adib Chowdhury, Momtaz Alo, Fahima Nasrin, Arifa Sultana, Mst Sanjida Yasmin, Nadia Pathan Papon, Shaukat Ara Akter, Madhabi Marma, Selina Sultana and Rezeka Sultana.

Those elected from the Jamaat-led alliance are Nurunnisa Siddika, Marjia Begum, Sabikun Nahar, Mst Najmun Nahar, Mahfuza Hannan, Sajeda Samad, Shamsunnahar Begum, Mardia Momtaz, Rokeya Begum, Mahamuda Alam Mitu, Tasmia Pradhan and Mahbuba Hakim.

Besides, Sultana Jesmin was elected from the independent alliance.

Notably, there are 50 reserved seats for women in the parliament. For the last remaining seat, which is supposed to go to the National Citizen Party (NCP), the Election Commission initially rejected the nominations of two NCP aspirants Monira Sharmin’s candidacy was deemed ineligible, while Nusrat Tabassum submitted her paperwork late.

Although the nomination of Nusrat was later declared valid, it came too late for her to be sworn in today alongside the others. Sharmin meanwhile herself has an appeal pending over the matter of her nomination in the High Court.