AL DHAKA NORTH, SOUTH New committees likely before city polls .

The ruling Awami League may announce two convening committees for its Dhaka city north and Dhaka city south units before the announcement of the schedule for elections to the two city corporations. Party leaders said that the party president, Shiekh Hasina, also the prime minister, had already finalised the two committees and she would come up with the announcement anytime. A party presidium member said that they had already decided to split the unified Dhaka city unit into two and the convening committees for the two units might be declared anytime in the first week of March, but full-fledged committees would be formed later through council sessions. Hasina told the party’s central working committee meeting on February 6 that she wanted Dhaka city polls to be held soon and committees for the party units in the two cities would be announced before the elections, party leader said. Hasina called former Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Annisul Huq and former Dhaka city mayor Mohammad Hanif’s son Sayeed Khokon in her official residence Ganabhaban on February 26 and asked them to contest the mayoral polls in Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation respectively, party leaders said.

The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule for the elections to the two city corporations in the second week of March, commission sources said. Dhaka city Awami League acting president MA Aziz told New Age on Saturday that the party president might call the Dhaka city Awami League leaders soon to discuss about the party’s preparation for the Dhaka city polls. ‘As she [Hasina] has already declared party’s mayoral candidates for Dhaka city polls, she may announce the committees for the party’s two city units in Dhaka anytime or at a meeting with us soon,’ he said. The last committee of the Dhaka city unit was formed 12 years back in 2003 for three-year tenure. The last council session of the city unit was held on December 27, 2012, but no committee for the city unit was yet formed as the party’s central leaderships were yet to decide whether to divide the city unit.

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