Mayoral polls in three cities

Fifteen mayoral aspirants, including three incumbent mayors, collected BNP's nomination forms on Wednesday for contesting the elections to Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barishal city polls with the party tickets, reports UNB.

The nomination seekers bought the forms at Tk 10,000 at different times from BNP's Nayapaltan central office.

Sylhet mayor Ariful Hauqe himself bought a nomination paper from party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi around 10am.

BNP organising secretary Ruhul Quddus Talukder Dulu bought a nomination paper for Rajshahi mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul while party training affairs secretary Mosharraf Hossain collected a nomination paper for Barisal mayor Ahasan Habib Kamal.

Of the total 15 aspirants, only incumbent mayor Bulbul bought the party nomination paper to contest the Rajshahi city polls.

Eight BNP leaders bought nomination forms to vie for mayoral post in Barishal polls while six others in Sylhet city ones.

The eight BNP aspirants of Barisal mayoral race are current mayor Kamal, Barishal south unit BNP president Ebaidul Haque Chand, party organising secretary Bilkis Jahan Shirin, JCD leader Afroza Khanam Nasrin, BNP executive committee member Abu Naser Mohammad Rahmatullah and former student leaders Ali Haider Babu, Ziauddin Shikder and Abul Kalam Shaheen.

Apart from Ariful, Sylhet city BNP president Nasim Hossain, general secretary Badruzzaman Selim, vice president and panel mayor Rejaul Hasan Kayes Lodi and city leaders Salahuddin Rimon and Abdul Quayum collected the party's nomination forms for the Sylhet city polls.

The party started selling its nomination from at 10:00am and it continued till 4:00pm.

After filling the nomination forms, the aspirants will have to submit those to the BNP office along with Tk 25,000 security money by 4pm on Thursday.

Later, the party nomination board will interview the aspirants to pick the most suitable mayoral candidates for the three city polls on Thursday night.

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

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.