PM orders Dhaka city mayoral poll

By Mizan RahmanDhakaThe Bangladesh prime minister has ordered holding of long-stalled crucial Dhaka mayoral election.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the local government ministry to take steps to hold the long overdue mayoral polls in Dhaka north and south city corporations without further delay.Chairing a weekly cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, she disclosed the name of former Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries president Annisul Huq as ruling Awami League’s candidate for the Dhaka North City Corporation mayor post, said a minister preferring anonymity.“The prime minister has insisted on holding the DCC mayoral elections as early as possible and informed the cabinet that Awami League would back former FBCCI president Annisul Huq for the Dhaka North City mayoral poll,” the minister said.About the mayoral candidate for Dhaka South City Corporation, Hasina said the Awami League is yet to decide on it.Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, who is also ruling Awami League general secretary, said there is no obstacle now to holding the mayoral polls due since 2007.In November 2011, the government divided the Dhaka city administration and created two city corporations to replace Dhaka City Corporation, after removing the last elected mayor of Dhaka Sadeque Hossain, a senior Bangladesh NationalistParty (BNP) leader.The government had to amend the law which did not allow the removal of elected mayors.The amended law required holding of the polls for electing two mayors in 90 days. But the tenures of appointed administrators of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) were extended several times by amending the law, only to put off the elections.On December 8, 2014 the prime minister turned down a local government proposal to extend the tenures of government-appointed administrators once again, and asked the local government minister for steps to hold the much-awaited DCC polls in the current winter.