A total of 1,970 candidates are in the running for 299 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the Jan 7 vote as 75 more hopefuls have joined the election bandwagon after a number of withdrawals. 

One candidate has been barred from the race for breaching election code, Election Commission Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said on Wednesday.

The election to one of the 300 seats, Naogaon-2, will be held later because of the death of an independent candidate.

Officials said ballot papers and other electoral materials are ready for dispatch in these constituencies on the morning of the Jan 7 polls.

Amid a boycott by the BNP and its allies, a total of 28 parties are contesting in the elections this year, with 10 candidates from the Ganatantrik Party cleared for the race by the court after their candidacies were cancelled. 

The candidates include 434 party aspirants and 1,536 independents.

As many as 90 women and 79 others from several minority communities are participating in the polls.