Bangladesh Awami League (AL) today nominated Atiqul Islam, a former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), to contest the mayoral by-polls to Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) slated for February 28.
The ruling party also picked Syed Zakia Noor, younger sister of former
Public Administration Minister and ex-AL general secretary Syed Ashraful
Islam, to contest the Jatiya Sangsad election to the Kishoreganj-1
constituency to be held the same day.
The nominations were finalized at a joint meeting of the AL Local
Government Election Nomination Board and Parliamentary Board held at
Ganabhaban, the official residence of the Prime Minister, tonight.
AL Local Government Election Nomination Board and Parliamentary Board
Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting.
“The meeting unanimously nominated Atiqul Islam and Syed Zakia Noor for
contesting the mayoral by-polls to Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and
Kishoreganj-1 Jatiya Sangsad election respectively, ” Awami League General
Secretary Obaidul Quader told a press briefing after the meeting.
A total of 10 party aspirants collected nomination forms to contest the
by-polls to the DNCC, while seven aspirants collected nomination forms for
Kishoreganj-1 JS election, he said.
Quader said the AL Local Government Nomination Board also picked mayoral
candidates for three pourasabhas and chairmen candidates for 29 union
parishads across the country.
Matiar Rahaman, the incumbent mayor of Amtali Pourasabha in Barguna, Kazi
Alamin, acting general secretary of Patuakhali district, and Ashraful Alam,
AL organising secretary of Kaliganj upazila in Jhenidah, have been picked as
mayoral candidates for the respective pourasabhas.
The DNCC mayoral post fellvacant following the death of Annisul Huq on November 30 last year.
Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed announced the election
schedule of the by-polls to Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayoral post
at a press conference after the 43rd meeting of the Commission at Nirbachan
Bhaban on January 21.
Elections to the councillor and reserved councillor posts in the newly
extended 36 wards in DNCC and 18 wards under Dhaka South City Corporation
(DSCC) will be held on the same day.
As per the schedule, the last date of submission of nomination papers is
January 30 next and the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on
February 2. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is February 9.
Elections to the DNCC and DSCC were held on April 28, 2015. But, the
mayoral post of the DNCC remains vacant since DNCC mayor Annisul Huq died on
November 30 in 2017.
On January 9, 2018, the Commission announced the election schedule for
holding the by-polls to the DNCC mayoral post on February 26 on the same
year. But, the election was postponed following a High Court order on a writ
petition over boundary demarcation.
On January 16 this year, the High Court cleared the way for holding
election to the city corporation mayoral post and polls in the 36 new wards
under the two city corporations.
The election to the Kishoreganj-1 constituency will be held on February 28.
Election Commission (EC) Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed announced the election
schedule at a press conference after a meeting of the Commission at Nirbachan
Bhaban on January 22.
As per the polls schedule, the last date of nomination papers submission is
January 31 while the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on February
3. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is February 10.
The EC Secretary said the election will be considered as the general
election since newly elected Member of Parliament (MP) from the seat Syed
Ashraful Islam died before taking oath.
Syed Ashraf died on January 3, on the day when other MPs elected in the
11th general elections took oath.
He was also MP in the 10th parliament and the Public Administration
Minister.
