The newly elected mayors of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet city corporations were sworn in on Sunday.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at International Conference Center at the Prime Minister’s office, reports UNB.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina administered the oath to the mayors while LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam administered the oath to the councilors of the four city corporations.
The four city mayors are ArifulHaque Chowdhury (Sylhet), M MosaddekHossain (Rajshahi), M MoniruzzamanMoni (Khulna) and M AhsanHabib Kamal (Barisal).
The prime minister signed the oath papers and handed them to the respective mayors.
Speaking briefly on the occasion, the prime minister said her government has proved that free, fair and neutral election is possible under a political government.
“People, irrespective of party affiliation, have voted for you spontaneously and you should work for the welfare of the people as per your oath despite your loyalty to your party,” she said.
Hasina said the outgoing mayors have implemented massive development programmes in four city corporations in the last four years, which was never done in the past.
She requested the new mayors to maintain the continuity of the current pace of development activities, saying “this is the desire of the people.”
The prime minister suggested to the mayors that as elected representatives, they should work for the welfare of the people and rise above their political identities.
“You should perform your respective duties maintaining the democratic process to fulfill the expectations of the people,” she said.
Hasina congratulated the new mayors and councilors and asked them to work together to build the nation.
The elected mayors, their family members, and the councilors joined the prime minister in a photo session.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Industries Minister DilipBarua, Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Syed Modasser Ali, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak, and Media Adviser to the Prime Minister and Awami League Chief IqbalSobhan Chowdhury were, among others, present.
The opposition-backed mayoral candidates won the four city corporation elections held on June 15, defeating the ruling party-supported candidates by impressive margins.
In Rajshahi City Corporation, MosaddekHossain Bulbul’s win has brought the BNP leader back to the helm of the city after a gap of five years.
Awami League favourite AHM KhairuzzamanLiton, who was elected mayor in 2008, lost to Bulbul by a margin of 47,332 votes.
The election for Khulna City Corporation saw the return of a local BNP leader to the mayoral post after five years. BNP favouriteMoniruzzamanMoni beat AL-backed Talukder Abdul Khaleque by 60,671 votes.
In Barisal and Sylhet, BNP-backed mayoral candidates defeated their rivals by 17,010 and 35,157 votes respectively.
In Barisal, AhsanHabib Kamal overpowered his rival AL-backed ShawkatHossainHiron.
In Sylhet, BNP favouriteArifulHaque Chowdhury has done exactly what AL-backed Talukder Abdul Khaleque did in Khulna in 2008. Arif’s win ended the long rule of Badruddin Ahmed Kamran, who had served as mayor since the formation of Sylhet City Corporation in 2002.
