Dhaka – BNP has nominated Advocate Shakhawat Hossain Khan as its mayoral candidate to contest Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) polls.
BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the announcement at a press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday, UNB News agency reported.
On Friday, Awami League’s local government nomination board selected incumbent NCC mayor Selina Hayat Ivy to contest the polls with the party’s electoral symbol ‘boat’.
According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, the NCC will go to polls on December 22.
Earlier our Staff Reporter wrote Till Monday the BNP could not finalise its mayoral candidate for Narayanganj City Corporation even after holding a marathon meeting in Dhaka till late at night.
Party chairperson Khaleda Zia could not reach a decision in this regard during three-hour long meeting at her Gulshan office as her candidate of choice district BNP president Toimur Alam Khandaker again sought excuse to participate in the polls, according to meeting sources.In this circomustance, the chairperson concluded the meeting at about 12:00am without any decision.
Meeting sources however said the party would announce the name of mayoral candidate this evening.
If Toimur Alan Khandaker remains firm on his stance not to take part in the polls, the party may pick up Advocate Shakhawat Hossain, a former president of Narayanganj District Bar Association, as party mayoral candidate to contest the NCC polls scheduled to be held on December 22, said a senior leader.
Shakhawat, a city BNP leader and a lawyer of Narayanganj seven murder cases.
Besides the district and city leaders two leaders from each ward were also present at the meeting.
BNP chairperson’s adviser Toimur Alam Khandaker earlier was given green signal by the chairperson to take preparation for the polls as mayoral candidate but he declined to contest the election this time, said the leader.
Khandaker, who is also president of district BNP, was nominated party candidate during the previous mayoral polls but later he was asked to withdraw from the election just seven hours before the polling began, he added.
City BNP general secretary ATM Kamal, who among others, was also present at the meeting said they would accept whoever is given nomination for the mayoral post.
“Whoever will be given the nomination by the madam (Khaleda), we will go to door to door for campaign taking him with us for victory of party election symbol the sheaf of paddy,” he added. – Staff Reporter
