AL again picks Ivy for N’ganj mayor

The Awami League has once more chosen Selina Hayat Ivy as its mayoral candidate to contest the Narayanganj City Corporation election slated for January 16 next year.

The ruling party also picked Khan Ahmed Shuvo as its MP candidate for Tangail-7 parliamentary by-polls scheduled to be held on the same date.

The names of AL aspirants were finalised at a meeting of the party parliamentary and local government nomination boards, held yesterday afternoon with AL President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the Gono Bhaban.

Since the formation of the NCC, incumbent Mayor Ivy won the first two elections in 2011 and 2016. Earlier, she was the mayor of the erstwhile Narayanganj municipality.

The maiden election to NCC was held in a non-partisan manner in 2011. In 2016, Ivy was reelected as the AL candidate as the mayoral election was held using party symbols, unlike the councillor elections to the city corporation.

On November 30, the Election Commission announced schedules for NCC election and Tangail-7 by-polls. The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of AL MP Akabbar Hossain on November 16.

According to the schedules, the deadline for submission of nomination papers is December 15, while the last date for the scrutiny of nomination papers is December 20 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 27 in the NCC and Tangail-7 by-polls.

The third election to NCC will be held using electronic voting machines (EVMs) instead of traditional ballot papers.

Besides, yesterday's meeting finalised the names of AL chairman candidates for the union parishads under Parbatipur upazila in Dinajpur as well as the UPs in Khulna and Barishal divisions, as the local bodies will go to polls in the fifth phase on January 5.

A total of 707 unions will go to polls in this phase in 47 districts.

According to the polls schedule announced by the EC, the deadline for the submission of nomination papers is December 7, while the date for the scrutiny of nomination papers is December 9 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 15.