Nominations of mayor aspirants Abdul Awal Mintoo, Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu scrapped

Nominations of mayor aspirants Abdul Awal Mintoo and Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu have been cancelled by the returning officers.

Businessman Mintoo was the BNP-endorsed candidate for the Dhaka North City Corporation polls while former BNP MP Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu was keen to run for Mayor of Dhaka South.

The decision was announced on Wednesday, the first of the two days the Election Commission had set aside for scrutiny of nomination papers.

Mintoo’s son Tabith Awal, however, was cleared by the Dhaka North returning officer to contest for the Apr 28 polls.

Awami League-endorsed aspirant Annisul Huq also got the green light.

Independent mayor aspirant Nayeem Hasan will also not be able to contest in Dhaka North as his nomination was cancelled.

The North city poll’s returning officer Md Shah Alam said that nomination of Mintoo, an adviser to the BNP chief, was cancelled as the one supporting his nomination was not a voter of Dhaka North city corporation.

Mintoo’s lawyer Ehsanur Rahman said that they would file an appeal with the Election Commission against the decision.

Meanwhile, an official of Dhaka South returning officer’s office said that former BNP MP Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu’s declaration did not state information about cases against him ‘properly’.

Pintu, who has been convicted for the 2008 BDR mutiny in Dhaka, is now in jail.