Khokon accepts Hasina's decision on nomination for Dhaka South mayoral race

Dhaka South Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon has accepted the ruling Awami League’s decision to leave him out of the race for the office in the Jan 30 elections to the two city corporations in the capital.

The son of late Mohammad Hanif, who was the mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation, says he is happy with whatever decision party chief Sheikh Hasina takes for him as his “guardian”.

"I had said in the past that my leader will do whatever she thinks is good for me. And my leader Sheikh Hasina has done it," he said, breaking his silence on the issue at a news conference in his office, the Nagar Bhaban, on Monday.

The party named Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, a relative of Hasina and MP of Dhaka-10 seat, to run for the mayor election to Dhaka South while it stuck with Mayor Atiqul Islam as its pick for Dhaka North on Sunday. Taposh later resigned as MP.

As the candidates sought support and vote from the news conference at Hasina’s Dhanmondi offices where it announced the names, Khokon stayed home. He visited neither the party offices nor did he go to his office.

Asked for his reaction over phone, he told bdnews24.com on Sunday: “No comments on this issue at this moment.”

On Monday, he expressed full trust in Hasina. "I had said I entered politics with my father. I lost him in politics and in his absence my leader Sheikh Hasina is my guardian," Khokon said.

"I am saying again that I have happily accepted my leader's decision. She has done whatever she feels good for me," he added.

Mohammad Hanif, an aide to Bangabandhu, was the president of Dhaka Metropolitan Awami League for long. He played a vital role in toppling the BNP government in 1996. He died while suffering from the wounds he got in the grenade attack targeting Hasina on Aug 21 in 2004.

But Khokon joined another party, PDP, during the 2007-08 emergency despite being the organising secretary of the Awami League unit his father had led.

After the city corporation was split, an election was held in 2015 and Annisul Huq was elected as Dhaka North mayor while Khokon in Dhaka South as the Awami League’s candidates following Khokon’s return to the party.

Khokon had sought the ruling party’s nomination for reelection along with contenders such as Taposh and Haji Mohammad Salim, among others.

But it was predicted he may fail to bag the nomination due to his failure to prevent dengue outbreak and criticisms he faced within the party. While collecting the party’s nomination forms last week, he said he was going through a “tough time”.

After announcing the names of the candidates on Sunday, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader did not specify the reason behind ignoring Khokon.

He said Hasina made the decision on agreement between the members of the nomination board, who reviewed the popularity and acceptance of the aspirants. “There’s nothing much to say about it,” Quader said.

Asked what he thought were the reasons behind his failure to get the party nomination, Khokon said, “I am not thinking about it at all.”

Taposh, the Awami League mayoral candidate, sought the support from Khokon for the upcoming election.

Khokon said he must consult senior leaders first before making any comment on whether to announce his support for Taposh as the mayor with the rank of minister is legally bound not to campaign for any candidate in any local government election. His tenure ends on May 16, 2020.

He hoped he would complete some projects he took and the next mayor would finish his unfinished tasks.

He claimed he brought a positive trend of changes, which he hoped would continue in future.