Reza Mahmud :
The Two major political parties, the ruling Awami League and its political foe the BNP are passing busy time over Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
The AL has taken this as its most prestigious issue, because the past mayor was from its ticket.
Sources said, the AL senior leaders sat in a meeting on Saturday with Prime Minister and also Party Chief Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban to discuss the matter.
Al Presidium members Muhammad Faruk Khan told The New Nation on Monday that, “The schedule of the DNCC polls are yet to be declared. In the meantime, we have discussed the matter in a meeting under the chair of our party President Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.”
“At least nine leaders are seeking nomination on DNCC mayor post. The meeting decided to let the aspirants to start groundwork. The party will conduct survey about the candidates.
Then we will choose one from them,” he said. AL insiders said, the party chief has given green signal to the former BGMEA President Atiqul Islam to start fieldwork as its mayor candidate. Apart from this, former FBCCI President AK Azad is also in discussion as the ruling party mayor candidate there.
AL leader said, some leaders from the party seeking nomination but the party high command want a pro-business leader as a part of it’s strategy to fight with BNP’s candidate.
On the other hand, the BNP has taken the issue as a test case as it has nothing to loss.
The senior leaders of the party think that if the government creates a free and fair atmosphere for the polls then the voters will vote for the BNP candidate to win. They also think that if the government failed to create a level playing field in the polls then it would be a weapon for opposition parties to protest that loudly.
In such circumstances, the BNP’s demand of election time ‘neutral government’ would be justified to all quarters.
“The people of the country are waiting to vote for BNP as our party is always pro- people. The people are seriously annoyed with the misrules of the ruling Awami League. We hope the BNP nominated candidate will win in the DNCC polls,” said BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas.
He also claimed that the two mayoral posts of DSCC and DNCC were snatched away by the ruling Awami League while the people voted for BNP candidates in the past two city corporation elections.
The BNP insiders said, Tabith Awal, the party’s former mayor candidate for the 2015’s polls of DNCC, is the first choice of the high command. Reliable sources said, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has given a green signal to Tabith Awal to start initial groundwork.
On the other hand, MA Qaium, the Dhaka North City unit BNP President and Shakil Wahed, Assistant Publicity and Publication Secretary of the Central BNP, are also in discussion as the alternative candidate. Senior BNP leaders said, if the ruling party try to snatch the result of the polls then the people will give them a befitting reply.
The party will then start new phase of agitation against the government. They think the ruling party may not take such risk as the next Parliament election is in the doorstep.
“If the ruling party try to rig the vote, the whole nation will get united and protest against them. Our demand of neutral government to hold national polls will be proved as a right thing to all,” Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Joint-Secretary General of BNP told The New Nation.
During the last DNCC polls in 2015, Annisul Huq won the mayoral post by securing 460,000 votes, while his close contester BNP candidate Tabith Awal got 325,000 vote. The BNP candidate announced vote boycott after noon on the poll day.
The mayoral post of DNCC fell vacant with the death of Annisul Huq on 30 November.
The Election Commission in a meeting on December 17 decided to hold the DNCC by-polls in the last week of February, 2018. The schedule for the polls will be announced in the second week of January, the EC said.
The Two major political parties, the ruling Awami League and its political foe the BNP are passing busy time over Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
The AL has taken this as its most prestigious issue, because the past mayor was from its ticket.
Sources said, the AL senior leaders sat in a meeting on Saturday with Prime Minister and also Party Chief Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban to discuss the matter.
Al Presidium members Muhammad Faruk Khan told The New Nation on Monday that, “The schedule of the DNCC polls are yet to be declared. In the meantime, we have discussed the matter in a meeting under the chair of our party President Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.”
“At least nine leaders are seeking nomination on DNCC mayor post. The meeting decided to let the aspirants to start groundwork. The party will conduct survey about the candidates.
Then we will choose one from them,” he said. AL insiders said, the party chief has given green signal to the former BGMEA President Atiqul Islam to start fieldwork as its mayor candidate. Apart from this, former FBCCI President AK Azad is also in discussion as the ruling party mayor candidate there.
AL leader said, some leaders from the party seeking nomination but the party high command want a pro-business leader as a part of it’s strategy to fight with BNP’s candidate.
On the other hand, the BNP has taken the issue as a test case as it has nothing to loss.
The senior leaders of the party think that if the government creates a free and fair atmosphere for the polls then the voters will vote for the BNP candidate to win. They also think that if the government failed to create a level playing field in the polls then it would be a weapon for opposition parties to protest that loudly.
In such circumstances, the BNP’s demand of election time ‘neutral government’ would be justified to all quarters.
“The people of the country are waiting to vote for BNP as our party is always pro- people. The people are seriously annoyed with the misrules of the ruling Awami League. We hope the BNP nominated candidate will win in the DNCC polls,” said BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas.
He also claimed that the two mayoral posts of DSCC and DNCC were snatched away by the ruling Awami League while the people voted for BNP candidates in the past two city corporation elections.
The BNP insiders said, Tabith Awal, the party’s former mayor candidate for the 2015’s polls of DNCC, is the first choice of the high command. Reliable sources said, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has given a green signal to Tabith Awal to start initial groundwork.
On the other hand, MA Qaium, the Dhaka North City unit BNP President and Shakil Wahed, Assistant Publicity and Publication Secretary of the Central BNP, are also in discussion as the alternative candidate. Senior BNP leaders said, if the ruling party try to snatch the result of the polls then the people will give them a befitting reply.
The party will then start new phase of agitation against the government. They think the ruling party may not take such risk as the next Parliament election is in the doorstep.
“If the ruling party try to rig the vote, the whole nation will get united and protest against them. Our demand of neutral government to hold national polls will be proved as a right thing to all,” Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Joint-Secretary General of BNP told The New Nation.
During the last DNCC polls in 2015, Annisul Huq won the mayoral post by securing 460,000 votes, while his close contester BNP candidate Tabith Awal got 325,000 vote. The BNP candidate announced vote boycott after noon on the poll day.
The mayoral post of DNCC fell vacant with the death of Annisul Huq on 30 November.
The Election Commission in a meeting on December 17 decided to hold the DNCC by-polls in the last week of February, 2018. The schedule for the polls will be announced in the second week of January, the EC said.
