Nasir gets AL backing for Ctg mayoral race

The ruling Awami League yesterday decided to back AJM Nasir Uddin, general secretary of Chittagong city AL, as mayoral candidate in the April 28 Chittagong City Corporation polls.

The decision came at a marathon meeting between AL central and Chittagong city leaders at the Gono Bhaban yesterday evening. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the president of AL, chaired the meeting.

Through this decision, Chittagong city AL chief ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, three-time port city mayor who has strong holds in politics there, has been sidelined, party insiders said.    

Mohiuddin had earlier declared himself as the mayoral candidate “backed” by the AL-led 14-party combine.

But at the meeting yesterday, the veteran leader said he did not want to run for mayor this time due to his old age and poor health. And he would work for any candidate picked by the AL high command.

Other aspirants, including Nurul Islam Bsc, vice-president of the city AL; Abdus Salam, chairman of Chittagong Development Authority and city AL treasurer, and senior leader Eshaque Miah, also addressed the meeting and assured the AL high command that they too would work for anyone picked by Hasina.

Following their assurance, Hasina announced that the party would back Nasir in the polls, Col (retd) Faruk Khan MP, who was present at the meeting, told The Daily Star.

“Everyone accepted the decision happily,” he said, adding that Nasir shook hands with his party rival Mohiuddin and others and sought blessings of senior leaders.

AL leaders Tofail Ahmed, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Razzaque, and 15 to 20 top leaders of Chittagong city AL were also present at the meet.

Hasina on February 26 picked Sayeed Khokon, son of late Dhaka mayor Mohammad Hanif; and businessman Annisul Huq for the polls to Dhaka South and North city corporations respectively.

In another development, the Premier Bank Ltd has claimed that Dhaka South City Corporation mayoral aspirant Sayeed Khokon defaulted payment on a loan of Tk 100 crore. The bank has recently sent a letter to the Election Commission on the matter.

An EC assistant secretary said, "We have got a letter from the bank that requested us to consider the issue of the loan default while we scrutinise nomination papers."

According to a senior Premier Bank official, the letter read two companies -- S&S Corporation and DD Corporation -- owned by Khokon and his mother, owe Tk 100 crore to the bank.

Sayeed Khokon denied the allegation and said, "The allegation is absolutely false. I am not a loan defaulter. I have sufficient documents and proof to this end."

According to Local Government (city corporation) Act, 2009, if any person, who is either director or partner of any company that fails to repay loans of a bank or financial institutions within one year prior to filing nomination, will be disqualified from taking part in the elections.

Deputy Secretary Shamsul Alam of the EC told The Daily Star, "We have not taken the letter into consideration because the letter was received before announcement of the polls schedule and Sayeed Khokon is yet to file his nomination."