Jatiya Party (JaPa) Dhaka South mayoral candidate has retracted his decision to pull out of the polls, hours after announcing to back Awami League candidate Sheikh Falze Noor Taposh.
Haji Saifuddin Milon was expected to withdraw his candidacy at the office of returning officer on Thursday.
"We are pulling out our candidate and backing Awami League's Taposh in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls as the ruling party extended its support to the JaPa candidate in the Rangpur 3 by-polls," JaPa Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga said an hour before taking the U-turn.
"JaPa will contest in the polls and our activists will campaign till the end," Ranga said.
The JaPa is an ally of the Awami League-led Grand Alliance.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and DSCC elections are slated for January 30. Voters will cast their ballots using electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Alongside electing the two mayors, DNCC voters will also elect 54 ward councillors and 18 reserved women councillors while DSCC voters will elect 75 ward councillors and 25 reserved women councillors.
