BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas and International Affairs Secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon have joined the mayoral race for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
They collected nomination papers from the returning officer’s office yesterday.
Chittagong Mayor M Manjur Alam, who had announced his desire to run for a second term, yesterday resigned from the city corporation post and collected nomination form.
Around 11am advocates AKM Shahjahan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, Zainul Abedin and Senior Vice-President of Jubo Dal Abdus Salam Azad collected the nomination form for Mirza Abbas while advocate Jillur Rahman for Ripon from the DSCC Election Commission office around 3.35pm, confirmed EC official Nababul Islam.
Abbas was the mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation in 1991 and was the housing and public works minister.
Although there is no official announcement from the BNP on contesting the upcoming city corporation polls of Dhaka and Chittagong scheduled for April 28, its leaders have started collecting nomination forms.
BNP Economic Affairs Secretary Abdus Salam, former lawmaker Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu and pro-BNP teachers leader Selim Bhuiyan have already collected nomination papers to join the DSCC fray.
Pintu is serving life term in the BDR carnage case; Selim is also behind bars for his alleged involvement in a blockade violence case.
The three others too are accused in several violence-related cases.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the aspirant candidates must secure bail from the court concerned to run the race.
A total of 28 aspirant mayoral candidates, 923 councillor candidates, 171 reserved women councillor candidates have so far collected nominations to join the DSCC polls fray.
In Chittagong
Assistant Returning Officer Md Shafiqur Rahman, who is also the district election official of Bandarban, said incumbent Mayor M Manjur Alam bought his nomination paper around 3:30pm.
After collecting the form Manjur at a press briefing said he would contest the poll under the banner of the Chattagram Unnayan Andolan, an organisation of pro-BNP professionals.
BNP Vice-Chairman Abdullah Al Noman said the BNP had endorsed Manjur’s nomination for the mayoral race.
Earlier, Manjur, also an adviser to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, handed over his resignation letter to CCC Panel Mayor Mohammad Hossain at the city corporation office around 3pm.
A total of 625 aspirants for mayor, ward councillors and reserved female ward councillors collected their nomination forms as of yesterday. Of them, 15 will vie for mayor, 87 for reserved female ward councillors and 523 for ward councillors.
According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the deadline for submission of nomination papers is March 29 while nomination can be withdrawn until April 9.
