Ivy-Shakhawat contest on
The two heavyweight mayoral candidates Selina Hayat Ivy of Awami League and Shakhawat Hossain of BNP submitted their nomination papers yesterday, the last day of such submission, ahead of Narayanganj City Corporation election scheduled for December 22.
All the local top BNP leaders were present with Shakhawat on the occasion.
However, local influential AL leaders -- Shamim Osman, an AL lawmaker, and his brother Salim Osman, a Jatiya Party MP or their supporters were not with Ivy.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during a meeting with Ivy and Shamim, at her Gono Bhaban residence, instructed the local AL leader to work in favour of Ivy.
The atmosphere of submission of nominations by the two main archrivals for the NCC mayoral post wore a festive and cheerful mood as they flanked by the party leaders and activists submitted their nominations to the returning officer in the Narayanganj Club auditorium.
Apart from AL and BNP, mayoral hopefuls from six other political parties including Liberal Democratic Party, Kalyan Party, Islami Okiya Jote, JSD-Inu and an independent candidate submitted their nominations.
It was widely discussed that a member from Osman family might contest the NCC election to counter Ivy. But such possibility ended with the expiry of the deadline for filing nomination at 5:00pm yesterday.
Therefore, the main attraction in the NCC polls will be centered between Ivy, the just resigned NCC mayor, also senior vice president of the district AL, and Shakhawat, who is better known as a lawyer rather than a politician.
Shakhawat, also former two-time president of Narayanganj District Bar Association, came into limelight throughout the country for his leadership and strong role in mobilising movement against the seven-murder in Narayanganj, locals said.
He also represents one of the plaintiffs in the cases filed for killing seven persons, including a lawyer and a city ward councillor in 2014.
After filing her nomination Ivy, country's first elected female mayor, told reporters that there is no need to deploy army in this election, contradicting her main archrival's demand.
Earlier, BNP demanded that the Election Commission deploys army to ensure a free and fair election in the crime-prone area.
In the maiden NCC election in 2011, Ivy who had been elected mayor as an independent candidate against AL-backed contestant Shamim Osman, had demanded army in that poll.
The BNP-backed Taimur had boycotted the poll just seven hours before the voting kicked off protesting non-deployment of army.
Ivy yesterday said, “The Election Commission will take all the necessary measures to hold the election in a free and fair manner, there is no need to deploy army.”
Shakhawat told the media that a neutral administration is required for a credible election. There are two main electoral symbols in this election, sheaf of paddy and boat, the former is the symbol of restoring democracy and the other for ruining it, he said.
In the 27 ward councillor posts, 889 people had collected nominations but 175 of them submitted the nominations. Thirty-eight women have submitted nominations for contesting in the reserved seat in the post for women, RO Nuruzzaman Talukder told The Daily Star.
According to the NCC election schedule, nomination papers will be scrutinised on November 26 and 27. The last date of withdrawing the nomination is December 4.
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