Asif, Patwary transfer voter areas to contest city polls
The two leaders of the National Citizens Party (NCP), Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan and Nasiruddin Patwary, have transferred their voter areas on the same day, apparently to contest the approaching city corporation elections.
According to NCP leaders, the decision has been taken to enable the two leaders to participate in the approaching city corporation elections.
The voter transfer process has been completed on Monday (September 7) within the Election Commission deadline. On the same day, NCP-backed Cumilla City Corporation mayoral candidate Advocate Tarikul Islam also transferred his voter area.
The NCP has decided to contest the approaching local government elections independently, setting aside alliance-based electoral calculations. The party is making political and strategic preparations to field candidates with full strength to city corporation elections without relying on the electoral equation of the 11-party alliance. The party is making preparations to field candidates with full strength to city corporation elections without relying on the electoral equation of the 11-party alliance. At least three leaders have transferred their voter areas as part of the preparations.
Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, a former adviser to the interim government and spokesperson for the NCP, was previously registered as a voter in Dhaka South City Corporation. He is now registered as a voter in the Aftabnagar area under Dhaka North City Corporation.
Meanwhile, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary was previously a voter in Uttara under Dhaka North City Corporation is now a voter in an area under Dhaka South City Corporation, within the Dhaka-8 constituency.
At the same time, NCP-backed Cumilla City Corporation mayoral candidate Advocate Tarikul Islam also transferred his voter area. He completed the process of transferring his voter registration from Muradnagar upazila to an area within Cumilla City Corporation.
NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan told Asia Post, "There has been no formal discussion with the partners of the 11-party alliance regarding the local government elections. Therefore, the NCP is going to participate in the elections independently. We are preparing to field candidates with our full strength across the country at every level of local government, including city corporations and municipalities."
The former adviser expressed optimism that the NCP would perform well based on its distinctive manifesto, the party's previous activities, the qualifications of its candidates and their accountability to the people.
NCP Joint Member Secretary Zainal Abedin Shishir told Asia Post, "There is no plan to share seats with any political party or alliance partners in the local government elections. The other alliance partners are also making the same statement, so I do not see any possibility of tension over the issue."
Shishir also said there was no possibility that any party would withdraw from the election in the future and support a single alliance candidate through a compromise.
Meanwhile, the NCP views the decision not to use party symbols in this year's local government elections positively. According to senior party leaders, an election without party symbols will prevent voters from showing allegiance to any particular party or symbol. This will create an opportunity for transparent and open competition in local politics.
It will also make it easier for citizens to choose their representatives based on candidates' qualifications, their ability to ensure civic amenities and their social acceptability rather than on party symbols.
NCP leaders believe that the party's potential candidates in the approaching local government elections are sufficiently competent and people-oriented. They expect that if voters consciously choose the right candidates, NCP candidates will benefit.
In that case, the party believes its candidates have a possibility of winning mayoral and other local government positions across the country, including in the two city corporations of Dhaka.