The National Citizen Party (NCP) has decided not to form an electoral alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami in the upcoming local government elections. Instead, the party is preparing to field candidates independently in various local government polls, including city corporation elections. As part of that preparation, the NCP has finalized its mayoral candidates for five city corporations.

For Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), the party has decided to nominate its spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, while NCP’s chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary will contest from Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). The party is expected to formally announce their candidacies later.

Earlier, the NCP had announced different candidates for the two Dhaka city corporations. On March 30, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan was named as the candidate for Dhaka South, while the party’s senior joint convener and Dhaka North unit convener Ariful Islam Adib was selected for Dhaka North. The party has now revised that decision, choosing Asif Mahmud for Dhaka North and Nasiruddin Patwary for Dhaka South.

As part of their preparations for the election, both candidates have already changed their voter registration areas. Asif Mahmud, who was previously registered as a voter in Dhaka South, has shifted his voter area to Aftabnagar in Dhaka North. Meanwhile, Nasiruddin Patwary has moved his voter registration from Dhaka North to the Dhaka-8 parliamentary constituency area in Dhaka South.

Nasiruddin Patwary said, “Asif Mahmud will contest the mayoral election in Dhaka North and I am expected to contest in Dhaka South. However, the matter will be finally confirmed after the party officially announces the candidates.”

Asif Mahmud said changing their voter areas was part of preparations to participate in the city corporation elections. He said the party’s highest forum discussed the matter around two weeks ago and decided to nominate him in Dhaka North and Nasiruddin Patwary in Dhaka South. The formal announcement will be made later, he added.

According to the NCP’s list, the party has also finalized mayoral candidates for three city corporations outside Dhaka. Jatiya Jubo Shakti convener Tariqul Islam will contest in Cumilla City Corporation, metropolitan NCP convener Md Mobasher Ali will run in Rajshahi City Corporation, and metropolitan NCP convener Abdur Rahman Afzal will contest in Sylhet City Corporation.

In the last parliamentary election, Nasiruddin Patwary contested the Dhaka-8 constituency as a candidate of the 11-party alliance. He narrowly lost the election to BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas. Former adviser to the interim government Asif Mahmud, meanwhile, did not contest that election.

Sources within the NCP and Jamaat said there had previously been no precedent for fielding joint candidates in local government elections. Taking this into consideration, leaders of the 11-party alliance have reached an in-principle decision to contest local elections separately under their respective party symbols.

Despite contesting the local elections independently, however, the 11-party alliance will remain politically intact. The alliance partners will continue to carry out joint programmes on issues of public interest, including implementation of the referendum verdict and addressing electricity and gas shortages.

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