DNCC Mayor Race: BNP picks Tabith Awal

BNP mayoral candidate for DNCC polls Tabith Awal. File photo

BNP executive committee member Tabith Awal has won the party ticket for mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the BNP, announced his name last night after a meeting at the party chairperson's Gulshan office.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League is set to finalise its mayor candidate today at a meeting of the party's Local Government Nomination Board.

As many as 16 mayor hopefuls collected nomination forms from the AL and five from the BNP to get the party ticket for the February 26 by-polls.

The AL is likely to pick former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association Atiqul Islam as its candidate, party sources said.

Talking to The Daily Star last night, Tabith thanked the 20-party alliance leaders for keeping trust in him.

“It's a primary victory of the young generation. I will try my best to deliver the best.”

He said he would soon submit to the Election Commission the nomination form and would finalise the election manifesto.

Asked by a party central committee member about the candidate, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting of AL central working committee on January 6 said she had already given the go-ahead to one who started campaigning, added the sources.

Hasina, also the AL chief, didn't mention the name. However, Atiqul has started campaigning, saying he has got the nod from the AL high-ups.

Earlier, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had said the party's nomination board would pick its candidate after interviewing the five mayor hopefuls at the party chief's Gulshan office.

Headed by Chairperson Khaleda Zia, the BNP nomination board is comprised of the party standing committee members, the Dhaka North city unit president and general secretary.

On Sunday, Tabith, BNP Special Secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon, Assistant Publication Affairs Secretary Shakil Wahed, Dhaka North city unit President MA Quayum, and ex-MP Maj (retd) Akhtaruzzaman collected nomination papers for contesting the by-polls.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance has already decided to jointly nominate a mayoral candidate. On the other side, a meeting of the 14-party alliance partners decided to support the AL candidate.

The post of the DNCC mayor fell vacant after Annisul Huq had passed away on November 30 last year. The Local Government Division declared the post vacant on December 1.

Tabith ran against AL-backed Annisul in the previous election after the AL-led government had split the Dhaka city corporation into two in November 2011.

The BNP-backed mayor candidate boycotted the April 28, 2015 polls on the voting day, alleging widespread rigging.