Forty-nine elected members to reserved seats for women in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad were formally sworn in on Sunday night.
The oath-taking ceremony was administered by speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad at the oath room of the National Parliament Secretariat.
The event took place at around 9:00pm at Parliament House’s oath chamber in the eastern block, officials confirmed.
Among those present at the ceremony was prime minister Tarique Rahman.
The Election Commission on April 30 issued a gazette notification confirming the election of 49 candidates unopposed to the reserved women’s seats in the 13th JS.
Out of 49, 36 members are from the BNP-led alliance, 12 from the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance, and one from an independent bloc.
The BNP list of elected members includes Selima Rahman, Shirin Sultana, Rasheda Begum Hira, Rehana Akhter Ranu, Newaz Halima Arli, Mst Farida Yasmin, Bilkis Islam, Sakila Farzana, Helen Zerin Khan, Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Jiba Amina Khan, Mahmuda Habiba, Mst Sabira Sultana, Sansila Zebrin, Sanjida Islam Tuli, Sultana Ahmed, Fahmida Haque, Anna Minaj, Suborna Sikder, Shamim Ara Begum Swapna, Shammi Akhter, Ferdousi Ahmed, Bithika Binte Hossain, Mst Suraiya Zerin, Mansura Akhter, Zaharat Adib Chowdhury, Mamtaz Alo, Fahima Nasrin, Arifa Sultana, Mst Sanjida Yasmin, Nadia Pathan Papon, Shawkat Ara Akhter, Madhabi Marma, Selina Sultana and Rezeka Sultana.
Sultana Jasmine, a former vice-president of Chhatra Dal, was also elected as an independent candidate.
From the Jamaat quota, the elected members include Nurunnisa Siddique, Marzia Begum, Sabikunnahar, Mst Nazmun Nahar, Mahfuza Hannan, Sajeda Samad, Samsunnahar Begum, Mardia Mamtaz, Rokeya Begum, Mahmuda Alam Mitu, Tasmia Prodhan and Mahbuba Hakim.
In relation to the remaining seat, the nomination of National Citizen Party leader Nusrat Tabassum was initially rejected due to late submission.
She later challenged the decision in the High Court, which directed the Election Commission to accept and scrutinise her nomination within 72 hours.
Following review, the Election Commission on Saturday declared her nomination valid.
