Dhaka, Jan. 29 -- Court orders have restored the candidacies of 40 to 45 aspirants over the past week, complicating matters for the Election Commission (EC), particularly as it sends postal ballots to Bangladeshi expatriate voters.

Ballot papers for the parliamentary election and referendum are being printed. Postal ballots have already been sent to registered voters.

The parliamentary polls and referendum will be held on Feb 12.

Returned postal ballot envelopes have started arriving from abroad. These postal ballot papers contain 118 symbols and the 'None of the Above' option.

Around 2,000 candidates are contesting this parliamentary election. Of them, over 250 are independent candidates, while the rest represent 51 political parties...