Incumbent DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, and ruling Awami League lawmakers Haji Mohammad Salim and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh have collected the party's nominations on Wednesday (Dec 25) to contest the elections to two Dhaka city corporations, slated for Jan 30.
Of them, Haji Salim and Taposh bought nomination forms to participate in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) polls while Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam collected the form to vie for another term.
AL's Dhaka City South unit outgoing organizing secretary Kazi Morshed Kamal bought the form on behalf of Taposh from the party president’s Dhanmondi office on Wednesday afternoon.
Eight aspirants have collected the party nomination form do far, said Biplab Barua, office secretary of AL.
"Other candidates can collect and submit the form till Friday (Dec 27)," he added.
According to AL's Dhanmondi offices, two other candidates -- Sheikh Russel Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad Advisor Mohammad Nazmul Hoque and Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Central Command Council former vice president MA Rashid -- collected the nomination form for DSCC mayoral race.
While Bangabandhu Foundation Joint General Secretary Shahidullah Osmani, Awami League Bhasantek Thana Vice President Yead Ali Fokir and Awami League's Dhaka City North unit ward 15 leader Jamal Bhuiyan also bought nomination forms to contest for the DNCC mayoral race.
The Election Commission (EC) has set Jan 30 for the Dhaka South and North city corporations elections.
Aspirants can submit their nomination papers until Dec 31 to the EC and it will be scrutinized on Jan 2, while the last date of candidature withdrawal is Jan 9.
Voters will elect mayors and councillors by using Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in all centres, as per schedule announced by the EC, a move AL's political rival BNP opposed arguing that it would allow "vote-rigging."