SM Mizanur Rahman :With a view to fixing the date of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) elections, the Election Commission (EC) will sit with senior officials of the home, education and other concerned ministries tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the overall law and order. “Letters have been issued to the senior secretary of Home Ministry, Principal Staff Officer, Inspector General of Police and Director Generals of elite force Rapid Action Battalion, Coast Guard Bangladesh, Ansar and VDP, members of different intelligence agencies and election officers to attend the meeting,” EC Secretary Mohammad Sirajul Islam told The New Nation on Tuesday. Besides, letters have also been sent to the high officials of the education and other concerned ministries requesting them to attend the Thursday’s meeting, he said. The EC, preparing to hold the DSCC and DNCC polls, are likely to announce the schedule this month, EC sources said.According to EC secretary, the main aim is to hold meeting to know from the high officials of different law enforcing agencies whether the present situation is suitable for holding elections of the two city corporations. Besides, the EC will also want to know when the situation will be improved to hold the DSCC and DNCC election in a free, fair and peaceful manner.After the discussion about overall law and order, the EC will sit for fixing the date of DSCC and DNCC elections, the secretary said. “We have already completed our preparations, including voters’ list. On behalf the EC secretariat, I can say right now that we are ready. But the next decision will depend on the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners,” Sirajul Islam said. Earlier, the CEC, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, had said that elections might be held simultaneously during the holding of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations. The HSC examinations are scheduled to begin on April 1.In that case, city elections in Dhaka may be held in May, officials of the commission secretariat said, adding the Chittagong City Corporation elections are likely to be held in next June.In February, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved a proposal placed by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives to take necessary preparations for holding the DSCC and DNCC polls as early as possible.Later Sheikh Hasina, also President of ruling Awami League, formally announced the names of Sayeed Khokan, son of late mayor Mohammad Hanif, and Annisul Huq, former FBCCI president, as the party’s mayoral candidates in the bifurcated Dhaka City Corporations elections.Annisul Huq will contest the elections to DNCC while Sayeed Khokan to DSCC. However, AL Lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder and independent lawmaker Haji Selim have publicly expressed their desire to fight the elections. For DSCC independent lawmaker Haji Selim and for DNCC AL lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder have already started unofficial campaigns. Though the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is still indecisive about letting its candidates to contest the elections, party higher-ups are under pressure from the grassroots level to take part in the polls.Despite officially being non-partisan, city corporation elections would ultimately gain political colour, as mainly political leaders from major parties will contest for the mayoral posts.Convenor of the Nagorik Oikya Mahmudur Rahman Manna, now in jail on sedition charges, may win BNP support if he runs for the post as mayoral candidate for DNCC. Dr Tuhin Malik, a senior lawyer, also may get BNP support if he decides to run.BNP sources said that many leaders would like to see former Chhatra Dal leader Asaduzzaman Ripon as the mayoral candidate for the DSCC. One of the ruling party partners, Ershad-led Jatiya Party, announced its own mayoral candidates for the two city corporations. They are Haji Saifuddin Ahmed Milon for DSCC and Bahauddin Bablu for DNCC. The last election of undivided DCC was held in April, 2002 and its tenure expired in 2007. The DCC was bifurcated on November 30, 2011 with DSCC having 56 wards and DNCC having 36 wards. The two city corporations are now run by administrators.Following the bifurcation of the DCC, fresh elections were originally slated for May 24, 2012. However, the High Court issued a three-month stay order as there were complexities regarding delimitation and preparation of the voter list. The stay order was finally lifted by the court on May 13, 2014, paving the way for the elections.
