The ruling Awami League on Sunday finalised the list of its women candidates for the reserved seats for women in parliament and will send confirmation letters to the candidates today.

   A meeting of the AL leadership with party president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her official residence Jamuna finalised the list of the women candidates for the reserved JS seats. Some 779 aspirants collected nomination forms from the party office against 35 seats.
   AL central leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Matia Chowdhury, Abdul Jalil, Syed Ashraful Islam, Shahara Khatun and Faruk Khan, among others, were present at the meeting.
   Earlier in the afternoon, the prime minister’s political advisor Dr Alauddin Ahmed talked to the candidates over telephone confirming their candidature. The candidates were asked to be present at the party chief’s Dhanmondi office today to fill up the forms.
   The Election Commission on March 1 announced that elections to the 45 reserved JS seats for women would be held on March 30.
   According to the revised schedule for elections to women reserved seats, nomination submission closes on March 12. The nominations will be scrutinised on March 15 and the last date for the withdrawal of the candidature is March 19.
   AL women leaders Ashrafunnessa Mosharraf, Fazilatunnesa Indira, Faridunnahar Laily, Nazma Akhtar, Apu Ukil, Tahura Ali, Asma Jarin Jhumu, Safia Khatun and Shahin Monwara Haque, among others, received the telephonic instruction, sources said.
   The party has nominated two candidates from the families of army officers slain in the BDR rebellion, presidium member Amir Hossain Amu told New Age.
   He said that Amina Ahmed, wife of National Awami Party (NAP) chief Prof Mozaffar Ahmed and Rubi Rahman, wife of slain Ganatantri Party president Nurul Islam got party nomination.

Source: New Age