DNCC Mayoral Race: Shafin's polls hope dashed

The Election Commission yesterday rejected the nomination papers of Jatiya Party nominated mayoral candidate Shafin Ahmed for the Dhaka North City Corporation by-polls because he had defaulted on bank loans.

It accepted nomination papers of Atiqul Islam of Awami League, Anisur Rahman Dewan of National People's Party, Bobby Hazzaz of Nationalist Democratic Movement, Shahin Khan of Progressive Democratic Party and Abdur Rahim, an independent.

Citing a report of the Bangladesh Bank's Credit Information Bureau (CIB), Abul Kasem, returning officer of the DNCC by-election, said Shafin defaulted on a loan he had taken from the Brac Bank's Saat Masjid Road branch.

Shafin, also a popular singer, told The Daily Star that the CIB report seemed mysterious to him.

“My name was not in the CIB report even two days ago. I checked it before submitting the nomination paper. But why did the Bangladesh Bank suddenly include my name in the list?”

He added that he would appeal against the EC decision.

Shafin entered politics by becoming a mayoral candidate from Bobby Hazzaz-led NDM after the EC on January 18 last year announced the schedule for the DNCC by-polls. 

The BNP-led 20-party alliance nominated Tabith Awal as its candidate at the time.

Within days, the High Court stayed the election following writ petitions filed with the court. The HC order came a day before the deadline for the submission of nomination papers.

The HC recently lifted the stay order.

The BNP-led 20-party this time decided to boycott the local government polls.