Anaet Shawon
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday night reiterated her support for Sayeed Khokon and advised him to get prepared for the Dhaka South City Corporation polls due on April 28.
Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League President, advised the aspirant to take final preparation when Khokon went to Ganabhaban for a courtesy call on the Prime Minister.
Khokon told The Daily Observer, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told me to take final preparation for the DCC polls."
Sheikh Hasina called Khokon to her office on February 26 and nominated him as the party candidate.
But the party's Dhaka City unit General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Joint General Secretary Qamrul Islam, who are also members of the Cabinet, said that the party was
yet to announce a final decision on the matter.
They were speaking to reporters at an extended meeting of city AL at Bangabandhu Avenue Headquarters to draw up programmes for the Independence Day.
The city unit's Joint General Secretary Haji Mohammad Selim, who was in the meeting, too, expressed his eagerness to run for mayoral race. Both Khokon and Selim collected nomination papers earlier in the day.
Khokon, Organising Secretary of the unit, entered the office with its Acting President MA Aziz after the meeting.
Selim has also been campaigning in his favour saying 'people want him to do so'.
He had defeated the Awami League candidate in 2014 parliamentary election as an independent candidate. After collecting nomination papers on the day, Selim said he believes that the party would finally support him.
At the meeting to fix the Independence Day programmes, Maya said Sheikh Hasina would finally decide on this after the deadline for submission of nomination papers on March 29.
"City Awami League will wholeheartedly work for the candidate chosen by the leader," he said.
He said that if someone violates the decision, they will be sacked from the party.
Qamrul echoed Maya saying the party has not announced its candidate.
The ruling party had faced similar problem in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls.
Hasina backed AKM Shamim Osman but another Awami League leader Selina Hayat Ivy defeated him.
General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said after the polls that the party had not officially backed anyone in the elections.
Food Minister Qamrul on Tuesday said there was no chance for a party to nominate someone in the local polls. "But we can support anyone," he added.
"We'll work together for the victory of the candidate chosen by the Prime Minister," he said.
The last election to the undivided DCC was held in April 2002, and the tenure of the representatives elected through it expired in May 2007.