Awami League picks Sima for Comilla civic polls, Joya for Sunamganj by-election

The Awami League has nominated Anjum Sultana Sima for the upcoming Comilla City Corporation polls and Joya Sengupta for the Sunamganj-2 parliamentary by-election.

The BNP has already picked Monirul Haque Sakku who became mayor of Comilla City by beating Sima's father Afzal Khan in 2012.

Anjum Sultana Sima hits the campaign trail.

Both the polls to Comilla City and Sunamganj are slated for Mar 30.

Afzal contested the non-party polls with the Awami League backing. This time the election to the local government body is going to be held on party lines.

The ruling Awami League picked the candidates at a meeting of its local government nomination board at the Ganabhaban on Sunday, Office Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap told bdnews24.com. Party chief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting.

The ruling Awami League picked the candidates at a meeting of its local government nomination board at the Ganabhaban on Sunday

Sima is now the councillor of ward-8 in Comilla now. She had been acting chairperson of Comilla municipality and vice-chairperson of Adarsha Sadar Upazila.

She is a member of the ruling party and will use ‘boat’ as the symbol in the election.

Her husband Nisar Uddin Ahmed Mintu, a businessman, is a member of the Comilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Her father Afzal is criticised for exerting family influence in Comilla.

Comilla MP AKM Bahauddin Bahar is known to be his rival. He wanted to see sports organiser Arfanul Haque Rifan as the Awami League candidate for the mayoral polls.

Joya Sengupta

Meanwhile, the ruling party has nominated Joya Sengupta for the by-election to the Sunamganj seat which fell vacant after the death of her husband veteran Awami League lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta.