Just three days ahead of the country's maiden partisan municipal polls, the BNP candidate for Chittagong's Satkania municipality declared to quit the race alleging "pressures from different quarters".

"I have been compelled to pull out of the electoral race due to pressures from different quarters," BNP's mayor aspirant Rafiqul Alam said without giving any details about the "quarters".

Speaking at a press briefing at Satkania upazila town this afternoon, Rafiqul however said, "I have decided to quit electoral race to get respite from false cases and to protect my party leaders and activists who were conducting electioneering on behalf of me."  

Ruling Awami League's Md Zubayer and Jatiya Party's Yusuf Chowdhury are the other contenders in the municipality polls scheduled for December 30, our Chittagong correspondent reports.