Tabith M Awal has received the nod from the BNP to replace his father Abdul Awal Mintoo as the party’s mayoral candidate in Dhaka north.
Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Prof Dr Emajuddin Ahamed, also chief of a pro-BNP platform titled “Adarsha Dhaka Gorar Andolan,” announced around 10pm that BNP will back Tabith for the polls.
But his good news came at the expense of his father who was the party’s first choice.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court turned down Mintoo’s appeal against a High Court order that upheld the cancellation of his candidature by the Election Commission (EC).
Tabith’s nomination papers were collected and filed at the eleventh hour on March 29 as a backup option for his father, who is an adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
His immediate reaction was one of gratefulness to the BNP chief and the 20-party alliance. Around 11pm, Tabith went to meet Khaleda Zia at her residence Feroza in Gulshan with a flower bouquet.
In an exclusive interview last night, he told the Dhaka Tribune: “They have given me a great honour. Now I will try to win with people’s mandate and serve the city dwellers.”
Tabith said he would start campaigning as soon as the EC allots an election symbol. He would take a little more time to publish his manifesto.
The youngest mayoral candidate aged 36 said: “What happened with my father was unfortunate. I do not have the words to describe it. But I will make my father proud by fulfilling his thoughts and plans about Dhaka.”
Business magnate Abdul Awal Mintoo, a former president of the country’s apex trade body (FBCCI), was said to have harboured ambitions of becoming the mayor of Dhaka for more than a decade ago.
Mintoo is the chairman and Tabith deputy chief executive officer of their family business Multimode Group. He is associated with 17 business organisations and vice-president of Bangladesh Football Federation.
Tabith’s main competition is expected to be with ruling Awami League-backed candidate Annisul Huq, also a former president of FBCCI and much better known to the business and media circles.
“I am new in the fields of politics and business. This is my greatest advantage. The citizens will accept me as a fresh face. I am sure that I will get the blessings of the citizens because I am young. I will pledge to build the city of their dreams. I hope that the young voters will also give me that chance,” Tabith said.
After a one-and-half-hour meeting with Khaleda Zia last night, Adarsha Dhaka Gorar Andolan convener Prof Emajuddin said the pro-BNP banner will officially announce Tabith’s name in a press conference today.
They will also organise a meeting at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh to formally introduce their candidate. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is likely to attend that programme.
Shawkat Mahmud, member secretary of the platform, told reporters: “We are confidently expecting that the BNP chairperson will take part in the campaign.”
According to party insiders, one group was strongly in favour of extending support to Bikalpadhara Bangladesh’s Mahi B Chowdhury, a former BNP lawmaker.
However, the party chief, after consulting with key alliance partners like Jamaat-e-Islami and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), eventually decided to support Tabith.
