Staff Reporter :BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo has been finally rejected as a Mayor candidate for the forthcoming election of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). Divisional Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka Zillar Rahman upheld the cancellation of Mintoo’s nomination after hearing the appeal at his Segunbagicha office on Saturday.Earlier, the Retuning Officer of DNCC disqualified the BNP leader on April 1, citing that his supporter in the nomination paper Abdur Razzak was not a voter of the DNCC area. Mintoo, adviser to the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, filed the appeal with the DC, the appellate authority for the elections of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), challenging the cancellation of his nomination on April 2. Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, the lawyer of Mintoo, expressed his dejection after the judgment, saying that they did not get justice in the appeal. “The countrymen are disappointed with the judgment. Had he been the candidate of ruling party, the decision might have been different,” he said.”He fulfilled all requirements as candidate for the election. We’ll appeal against the decision with the high court and continue He also blamed the DCC authorities for preparing a flawed voter list. “They have prepared a faulty voter list. As per the maps of Rajdhani Unnoyon Kortipokkho (Rajuk) and DCC, Sector 13, 14, 15 and 16 of Uttara fall in the area of DNCC. But the documents show, some people of Sector 13 are included in the voter list, but most of them are left out. It is illegal. We should not pay for the mistake of DCC,” he noted. Apart from Khokon, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Advocate Joynul Abedin, Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukder and Advocate Sanaullah Mia also took part in the hearing for Mintoo.However, the nomination of Mintoo’s son Tabith Awal for the same post was proved eligible for contesting in the DNCC polls, scheduled to be held on April 28. Meanwhile, Mintoo’s disqualification by the Divisional Commissioner’s has raised doubt among the concerned circle.As there is no finding by the Election Commission that Abdul Awal Mintoo as a candidate suffers from any disqualification like Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu and many others but Mintoo cannot be treated as disqualified, observed some lawyers while talking to The New Nation. They elaborated to say that he is not a convict or a loan defaulter. It appears unacceptable that for any irregularity in the proposer or supporter of the candidate, the candidate himself should be found to be disqualified and his nomination paper should be rejected as extreme punishment. Such requirements are considered directory and such flaw in observing the direction is generally ignored unless the consequence is given in the law itself as to fatal, they said. There is no such declaration in the rule that if supporter is not a voter of the area, the candidate will be found disqualified, said the lawyers.A reliable source said that Mintoo is now staying aboard. He left the country secretly. When asked, BNP joint secretary general Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, who is also a council of Mintoo’s appeal, told The New Nation that Mintoo is now staying in the country. He, however, did not clear where Montoo is now staying or why he is now in hiding. This reporter made a call to the mobile phone of Mintoo. An employee of Mintoo received the phone-call and requested the reporter to know about the matter from his PS, providing the PS’s number. PS Sohel also claimed that Mintoo is now staying in the country. He is now in hiding. When asked why he went into hiding as there is not any arrest warrant against him, Sohel said, “I can’t say anything in this regard.”
