DNCC Mayor Race: AL to name its candidate today

The BNP is going to pick Tabith Awal for contesting the by-polls to the Dhaka North City Corporation's mayoral post tonight.

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

As many as 16 aspirants have collected nomination forms from the AL and five from the BNP to get the party nomination.

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

Asked by a party central committee member about the candidate at the party's central working committee meeting on January 6, AL chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina informed her colleagues that she had already given the go-ahead to one who started campaigning, added the sources.

Hasina did not mention the name, but Atiqul Islam has started campaigning saying he has got the nod from the AL high-ups.

BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said their party's nomination board would select their candidate after interviewing the five aspirants at the party chairperson's Gulshan office.

The nomination board is headed by Chairperson Khaleda Zia that also comprises the BNP standing committee members and the Dhaka North city unit president and general secretary.

On Sunday, the five BNP leaders -- executive committee member Tabith Awal, 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 nominate a single 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 passed away on November 30 last year. The Local Government Division declared the post vacant on December 1.

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

In the last election held on April 28, 2015, the BNP-backed mayoral candidate boycotted the polls on the voting day, alleging widespread rigging.