Manna quits polls race

Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna, now in jail in a sedition case, will not participate in the forthcoming bifurcated Dhaka city corporation elections.

No nomination paper was submitted to the returning officer on his behalf yesterday, the last day for filing. He was supposed to be a mayoral candidate in Dhaka North City Corporation polls. 

Nagorik Oikya in a press release yesterday alleged that they could not collect Manna's signature on the nomination paper and other necessary documents due to non-cooperation from the administration and other authorities concerned. 

The release signed by the platform's central committee member Atiqur Rahman also mentioned Manna's physical ailment as one of the main reasons for his not joining the race.

Farman Ali, senior jail super of Dhaka Central Jail, claimed that no one contacted them in connection with signing the papers.

According to the family, plainclothes men picked up the convener from a house at Banani in the capital on February 23.

However, law enforcers said Manna was arrested at Dhanmondi in connection with sedition.

On Wednesday night, another mayoral candidate, Awami League city unit joint general secretary Haji Mohammad Salim, flew to India for “treatment”, without filing his nomination for the mayoral race for the Dhaka South City Corporation polls.

AL sources said Salim quit the race on the instruction of the party high-ups after AL had already announced to back Sayeed Khokon, son of former Dhaka City Corporation Mayor Mohammad Hanif in the election.