, Jan. 10 -- In a boost for their hopes ahead of Bangladesh's national election, 51 aspirants regained their candidacies on Saturday, including independent candidate Tasnim Jara from Dhaka-9 and Jamaat-e-Islami's AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad from Cox's Bazar-2.

The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, declared them valid candidates, hearing the appeal petitions filed by them, at Nirbachan Bhaban in the city's Agargaon area.

"A total of 52 appeal petitions were accepted, while 15 other rejected and the rest three ones remain pending," said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed after the first-day hearing of the petitions filed by aggrieved aspirants against the decisions of the returning officers over the nomina...