49 women MPs sworn in; NCP's nominee not yet
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, along with cabinet members and senior leaders of the ruling BNP, opposition Jamaat, and NCP, were present on the occasion.
The newly elected women Members of Parliament (MPs) took oath tonight (3 May) to represent their respective parties from the reserved seats of the 13th parliament.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, administered the oath at the Oath Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at 9:07pm.
The oath-taking ceremony was conducted by Parliament Secretariat Secretary Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan.
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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, along with cabinet members and senior leaders of the ruling BNP, opposition Jamaat, and NCP, were present on the occasion.
Earlier, on April 30, the Election Commission published a gazette declaring 49 lawmakers elected unopposed to the reserved women's seats in the 13th parliament.
The 36 BNP alliance MPs are Selima Rahman, Shirin Sultana, Rasheda Begum Hira, Rehana Akter Ranu, Newaz Halima Arly, Farida Yasmin, Bilkis Islam, Shakila Farzana, Helen Jerin Khan, Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Zeeba Amina Khan, Mahmuda Habiba, Sabira Sultana, Sunsila Jabrin, Sanjida Islam (Tulee), Sultana Ahmed, Fahmida Haque, Anna Minz, Subarna Shikdar, Shamim Ara Begum Swapna, Shammi Akter, Ferdousi Ahmed, Bithika Binte Hossain, Suraiya Jerin, Mansura Akter, Jahrat Adib Chowdhury, Momtaz Alo, Fahima Nasrin, Arifa Sultana, Sanjida Yasmin, Nadia Pathan Papon, Shawkat Ara Akter, Madhabi Marma, Selina Sultana and Rezeka Sultana.
The 12 Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance newly elected lawmakers include Nurunnisa Siddika, Marzia Begum, Sabikun Nahar, Nazmun Nahar, Mahfuza Hannan, Sajeda Samad, Shamsunnahar Begum, Marzdia Momtaz, Rokeya Begum (mother of July martyr Jabir Ibrahim), Mahmuda Alam Mitu (NCP), Tasmia Pradhan (Jagpa) and Mahbuba Hakim (Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish).
The independent MP for the lone reserved seat is Sultana Jasmin.
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, 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, has an appeal pending over the matter of her nomination in the High Court.
