Sarwar, Bulbul win BNP tickets

The BNP yesterday announced its candidates for mayoral posts in the upcoming elections to Rajshahi and Barisal city corporations to be held on July 30.

Current Mayor for Rajshahi on BNP ticket Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul remains the BNP flag wielder.

In Barisal, however, the party has picked former mayor and its Joint Secretary General Mojibor Rahman Sarwar, overlooking incumbent Mayor Ahsan Habib Kamal.

A day after ruling Awami League announced its candidates for three cities, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam declared the party choices at a press briefing at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's political office in Dhaka's Gulshan.

However, the party has yet to declare its mayor candidate for Sylhet City Corporation. The city polls in Sylhet would also be held on July 30.

Fakhrul said they would announce the candidate for Sylhet today. On Thursday, the BNP nomination board interviewed 17 nomination seekers.

BNP's ally Jamaat-e-Islam has already extended support for its candidate for Sylhet who would contest the polls independently.

Asked if the party would compromise with Jamaat, Fakhrul said there were no such chances.

Incumbent Mayor of Sylhet Ariful Haque Chowdhury, who is an adviser to the BNP chairperson, has already given an interview to the BNP's nomination board.

The AL has picked AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran and Serniabat Sadek Abdullah as its mayoral candidates for Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal.

Liton is the president of the party's Rajshahi city unit, Kamran president of Sylhet city unit and Serniabat is the joint secretary of Barisal city unit. Liton and Kamran, both former mayors, were defeated by the BNP-backed candidates in the last polls.

BNP leaders said although they have announced the candidates, the final decision over contesting the polls would be made after observing the Gazipur City Corporation polls' atmosphere.

Contacted, Sarwar thanked the party high-ups for giving him the nomination. “I will devise the election strategy after seeing Gazipur city polls as it is a crucial election for us,” he said.

In 2013, the BNP-backed mayoral candidates won all the city corporation polls defeating the AL-backed candidates. Just before the national elections, the city corporation election results were a big blow for the ruling party.

This time, in Khulna city polls, the AL nominated mayoral candidate defeated the BNP candidate.

In the Khulna city polls, allegations of different irregularities, including stuffing of ballots boxes, were rife. Wearing badges of boat, election symbol of the AL, party men were seen roaming in and around many voting centres creating a sense of intimidation among the BNP men and supporters.

In most of the centres, agents of BNP mayoral candidate Nazrul Islam Monju were absent as what the party alleged was AL men ousted them   from there.