“Shamim Osman is an Awami League politician and I’m the party’s candidate. He will campaign for me if he is loyal to the party,” she told reporters at her home in Narayanganj yesterday.
Ivy, a doctor by training, defeated Awami League candidate Shamim, a member of the powerful Osman family, in the 2011 election to become the country’s first female mayor.
The two had been at each other’s throats since then.
Ivy downplayed the rivalry, saying there was no “division or tussle” between them. “The grassroots leaders and activists are elated that I got the nomination. I hope minor misunderstandings, if there is any, will be resolved.”
She urged everyone to work for the party’s candidate.
The ruling Awami League chose her on Friday to represent the party at the election. She had not been among the three proposed candidates.
Narayanganj City Corporation is scheduled to go to polls on December 22.Anwar Hossain out of reachAwami League’s Narayanganj city unit President Anwar Hossain, who until Friday was a mayor hopeful, became unreachable as soon as since Ivy’s name was announced as the ruling party candidate in the mayoral election.
Sources said his mobile phone was switched off shortly after Ivy was given the final approval to run for the mayor’s office again around 8:15pm on Friday.
His phone remained unreachable until this report was filed around 7:45pm yesterday.
In addition, his flat was found to be locked when Ivy went to meet him around 11am yesterday.
Neither the party men nor Anwar’s close acquaintances could tell where he could be.
When contacted over phone, Anwar’s spokesperson GM Arafat told the Dhaka Tribune that he did not know where Anwar was.
“He [Anwar] had the support of the party’s grassroots activists. They are disappointed that he was not given the nomination. But since the prime minister herself made the decision to nominate Ivy, that is what will happen,” he added.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
