EC to decide on DNCC by-polls in a few days

The Election Commission will decide within a day or two when the by-polls to the mayoral post of Dhaka North City Corporation will be held, acting secretary of the commission Helaluddin Ahmed said yesterday.

The commission will have a meeting within a day or two and make the decision on the by-election, he told reporters at Nirbachon Bhaban.

He thinks there is no legal complexity over holding of the by-polls, including the new 18 wards in the DNCC area, as the LGRD and cooperatives ministry had earlier asked the EC to hold elections to councillor posts in the wards.

In the meeting, the EC will also examine the legal aspects of the by-polls held with the 18 wards, he said.

The DNCC mayoral post became vacant following the death of mayor Annisul Huq. According to the Local Government (City Corporation) law, the by-polls has to be held within 90 days of the post becoming vacant.

On April 28, 2015, the DNCC election was held and Awami League candidate Annisul won by a large margin. He died on November 30 at a hospital in London where he was undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, the BNP has decided to finalise its DNCC mayor candidate after the announcement of polls schedule for the city corporation.

A BNP standing committee member, wishing not to be named, said a party delegation, led by a standing committee member, would join the Rangpur City Corporation polls campaign.

The decisions were made at the party's standing committee meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the chair at her Gulshan office last night.

Another senior BNP leader said Khaleda told her party colleagues that the proceedings of cases filed against her were expedited just to keep the BNP under pressure.

“Don't be worried. Nothing will happen,” the BNP leader said, quoting Khaleda as saying.