Dhaka: The search committee, formed by President Abdul Hamid, on Tuesday shortlisted 20 people examining 125 names proposed by 25 political parties to appoint as new election commissioners.

Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam came up with the announcement after a meeting of the search panel.

He, however, said the names proposed by the political parties will not be disclosed. 'There're some common names that came from political parties. But we won't disclose those.'

The cabinet secretary said the search panel made the shortlist of 20 people based on their honesty, neutrality and competence.

The search committee sat at the meeting at about 4:15pm at the Supreme Court Judges' Lounge to examine the names came from the political parties.

All the six members of the committee, led by Supreme Court's Appellate Division judge Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, joined the meeting.

Earlier, cabinet secretary Shafiul Alam and additional cabinet secretary Abdul Wadud went to the Supreme Court at about 4p:00m with the letters the political parties submitted to them.

The search panel is expected to propose names to the President by February 8 for formation of the new Election Commission (EC), and the President will appoint no more than five persons to the EC from the names to be proposed by the search committee.

A total of 27 political parties, out of 31, have submitted letters to the Cabinet Division responding to the search committee's call for sending names to it for reconstituting the EC.

In their letters, Awami League, BNP and 23 other parties proposed their chosen names to consider for appointing new election commissioners while Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rob) refrained from suggesting any name.

Abdul Wadud said 27 political parties submitted letters to them within the stipulated deadline of 3:00pm.

He said four political parties -- Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Gono Forum, Islami Andolon Bangladesh and Bangladesh Khilafat Majlish -- did not submit any letter though they were invited to propose names for the new EC.

Out of 27, four political parties submitted their letters on Monday while 23 on Tuesday.