Jamaat says yet to pick candidates for Dhaka mayoral elections, dismisses Shadik Kayem rumours

Anybody can contest elections after resigning from Shibir, the student organisation says

Several senior leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami have said the party has yet to finalise mayoral candidates for the two city corporations in Dhaka, brushing aside rumours of Abu Shadik Kayem running for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

The central committee office-bearers, however, told bdnews24.com that they were prepared for the elections.

Rumours have been circulating since Friday afternoon that the vice-president of the University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) will contest the DSCC election as a Jamaat-backed mayoral candidate.

The Thana level conference of Jamaat's Dhaka South city unit was held in Kakrail on Friday morning, when the divisional committees also held discussions, sources said.

The DUCSU leader’s name was recommended on the list of possible candidates there, they added.

When contacted, Dhaka South city unit leader and MP Kamal Hossain said he did not attend the summit.

“So, I don’t know about any decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, central Shibir leader and the student front’s Dhaka University president, SM Fardad, urged everyone not to be confused by the rumours.

Without naming Shadik Kayem, Fardad said: "The news of a top Chhatra Shibir leader being nominated as Jamaat’s mayoral candidate for Dhaka South city is circulating on some online portals."

Islami Chhatra Shibir ruled out the possibility of any of its leaders and activists participating in any election for a political party in a statement.

There is also no opportunity for a party to assign a Shibir leader as its candidate, it said.

But the Jamaat student affiliate argues that any of its members can join the polls race upon resigning from Shibir.

Jamaat's Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer said they will centrally declare the candidates for the city corporations.

“If any names surface before then, it means they are being discussed locally,” he said.

The local units will decide the candidates for municipal and Upazila elections, the Jamaat leader maintained.

Even though Jamaat is leading the Opposition alliance in the House, several of its leaders said the party may contest the local government elections individually as there is no party symbol.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), Jamaat’s ally, announced mayoral candidates for five city corporations, including Dhaka North and South, on Mar 29.

NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain was named as the DSCC mayoral hopeful.