The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday declared its backing for the mayoral race in the city corporations in Dhaka.
After nearly a two-hour long meeting with the BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, at her Gulshan residence, Adarsha Dhaka Andolan convener Emajuddin Ahmed told reporters that the Adarsha Dhaka Andolan, with consent of the BNP chairperson, has decided to back Tabith Awal in Dhaka north city corporation election and Mirza Abbas in the Dhaka south.
A delegation of the platform led by former Dhaka University vice chancellor Emajuddin Ahmed went to Khaleda’s residence after the Appellate Division upheld a High Court decision that rejected BNP-backed mayoral aspirant for Dhaka north city Abdul Awal Mintoo’s writ petition against cancellation of his nomination paper by the returning officer.
‘We decided to back Tabith in the north and Mirza Abbas in the south and the BNP chairperson has given her consent to our decision,’ said Emajuddin Ahmed.
He expected that Khaleda Zia would join the election campaigns of the two mayoral aspirants soon.
Thursday was the last date for
withdrawing nomination papers of mayor and councilor candidates in two Dhaka cities and Chittagong city corporation election set for April 28.
BNP mayoral aspirant Asaduzzaman Ripon did not withdraw his nomination papers on the last day, while nomination papers of another BNP mayor aspirant for Dhaka south city, the party’s economic affairs secretary Abdus Salam, was withdrawn on Thursday.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia summoned party international affairs secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon, who also filed nomination papers for mayoral election to Dhaka south city, at her Gulshan residence Wednesday evening.
The party sources said Ripon has been asked by the party high command to remain standing by for the mayoral election in case Abbas falls into any legal complications.
Abbas has remained in hideout, implicated in a number of cases and there are warrants of arrest against him in some cases, the party sources said. Abbas is supposed to move to court to seek bail, the sources said.
Asaduzzaman Ripon Wednesday night told New Age he had met Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence Wednesday evening.
He, however, did not say anything about the content of the meeting.
Jahangir Alam Mintu, press secretary of Mirza Abbas, told New Age on Thursday that the government and the Election Commission still had not created a ‘level playing field’ in the city polls.
He said cases against Mirza Abbas were ‘false’ and ‘politically motivated’.
Meanwhile, Afroza Abbas, wife of Mirza Abbas, on behalf of her husband, started formal election campaigns on Wednesday.
She went around different areas in south city on Thursday. The Appellate Division, meanwhile, on Thursday upheld a High Court decision that rejected BNP-backed mayoral aspirant for Dhaka north city Abdul Awal Mintoo’s writ petition against cancellation of his nomination paper by the returning officer.
Source: New Age
