A day after holding a marathon meeting with her party’s senior leaders, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia is going to sit with top leaders of her party-led 20-party alliance on Thursday night before finalising her decision about joining the December-30 municipality elections. The meeting is scheduled to start around 9pm at the BNP chief’s Gulshan office, party assistant office secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim told UNB. Earlier on Wednesday night, she had an over-two hour long meeting with her party’s senior leaders, including standing committee members, at her office and discussed various issues relating to municipality polls, country’s latest political situation, organisational activities, party overhaul and party’s council. After the meeting, party spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon said, “The meeting elaborately discussed the municipality elections. No decision about the matter has been finalised yet. The responsibility for working out a strategy and finalising the decision about taking part in the municipality elections has been bestowed upon our chairperson Khaleda Zia. She’ll inform us about her decision soon.” A party standing committee member who had join Wednesday’s meeting wishing anonymity said most of the senior leaders suggested their chairperson to go to the polls. He said the BNP chief is also positive about joining the elections, but she will finalise her decision after discussions with the 20-party alliance leaders tonight. Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad announced that elections to 234 municipalities across the country will be held on December 30. The municipal elections will partly be held under party line for the first time as Parliament passed the Local Government (Municipality) (Amendment) Bill 2015 on November 19, paving the path for mayoral candidates to contest the elections with party symbols. – UNB, Dhaka.
