BNP picks Bulbul, Sarwar for Rajshahi, Barishal polls

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has nominated party leader Mujibur Rahman Sarwar for Barishal, dropping current mayor Ahsan Habib Kamal while incumbent mayor Moasaddek Hossain Bulbul as its mayoral candidate for Rajshahi city polls.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names of two mayoral candidates at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Sunday evening.

 But, the party did not announce the name of its mayoral runner for Sylhet city polls.

Fakhrul said they still could not finalise their mayoral candidate for Sylhet. “We’ll announce Sylhet candidate’s name on Monday.”

The elections to Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city corporations will be held on July 30.

On Thursday night, BNP’s nomination board took interviews of 17 party nomination aspirants at party chairperson’s Gulshan office to finalise the party’s mayoral candidates to contest the elections to the three city corporations.

BNP insiders said the party dropped Barishal mayor Kamal as local leaders and activists are unhappy with him.

According to the election schedule announced by the Election Commission, the deadline for the submission of nomination papers is June 28, while the dates for scrutinising those are July 1 and 2, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is July 9.

BNP candidates Bulbul, and Ariful Haque and Kamal were elected mayors in Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal city polls respectively in 2013.