BNP almost finalises mayoral candidates [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

BNP almost finalises mayoral candidates

Local December 01, 2015

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has almost finalised the party nominations for mayoral candidates for the municipal polls scheduled for December 30.
The party is likely to hand over letter authenticating the party nominations to mayoral candidates on Wednesday a day before the December 3 deadline for the submission of nomination papers, party sources said.
Election to 234 municipal councils would be held on December 30 with party nominations and election symbols for the first time.
‘The nomination of mayoral candidates for almost 90 per cent municipal councils that go to vote have been finalised,’ a BNP leader, involved in the nomination process, told New Age on Sunday.
He said the rest of the nominations would be finalised soon.
BNP assistant publicity secretary Emran Saleh Prince, involved in the nomination process, said that the party nomination of the mayoral candidates was in the final stage.
A team led by BNP joint secretary general Mohammad Shahjahan at the instruction of the party chairperson Khaleda Zia has been
working on nominations for the party mayoral candidates subject to approval of the party chief.
BNP would keep nominations for some mayoral posts reserved for components of its alliance partners, party sources said, adding that about 10 mayoral posts might be shared with the partners except Jamaat-e-Islami.
Most the partners of the alliance including Labour Party and Bangladesh Jatiya Party would contest the municipal polls with BNP election symbol, sheaf of paddy, the sources said.
Nothing could be known about sharing mayoral posts with the Jamaat.
BNP would highlight government’s ‘undemocratic’ attitude, ‘misrule’ and ‘corruption’ in its election campaign, the sources said.
The sources said that the central BNP sent a letter to its district committees stating that BNP decided to contest the municipal polls as a part of the movement against the ‘unethical’ ‘autocratic’ ‘fascist’ and ‘corrupt’ government.
Party leaders claimed that BNP was selecting the mayoral candidates as per recommendations made by the district committees.
The district committees sent the recommendations following discussions amongst presidents and general secretaries of the district and municipal units and former lawmakers or those who contested parliamentary elections, the sources said.
The central BNP further cross-checked the recommendations sent by the district units and intervened where the district committee failed to select single candidate for a mayoral post, the party sources said.
BNP joint secretary-general Mohammad Shahjahan was not available for comments.
On November 27, BNP formally announced to contests the municipal polls setting some conditions including deferring the election by 15 days, stopping mass arrest and releasing the party leaders, activists and supporters and creating a level-playing field.
A delegation of BNP on Sunday met with chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad to place their demands.