Former advisor Asif Mahmud collects nomination papers for Dhaka-10

He seeks prayers and support from the public

Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, a prominent face of the July Uprising and a former advisor to the interim government, has collected nomination papers for the Dhaka-10 constituency ahead of the the 13th national elections.

In a post on Facebook around 12:30pm on Monday, Asif said he had picked up nomination forms to contest the upcoming election in Dhaka-10 as an independent, and sought prayers and support from the public.

The Election Commission announced the schedule for the polls on Dec 11, fixing Feb 12 for the vote.

A day earlier, Asif had stepped down from his post as an advisor to the interim government.

Soon after his resignation, speculation was rife that he may join the Gono Odhikar Parishad.

However, on Dec 12, Asif announced that he would run as an independent candidate.

The Dhaka-10 constituency comprises the Dhanmondi, New Market, Kalabagan and Hazaribagh police station areas.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by several of Asif’s peers from the July Uprising, has not nominated any candidate in this constituency.

Instead, Sheikh Rabiul Alam Robi, a member of the party’s national executive committee, has secured the BNP's ticket.

While serving as an advisor, Asif had gone to the Dhanmondi election office on Nov 9 to transfer his voter registration from Cumilla to Dhaka.

At the time, he said he intended to contest the election as an independent candidate from one of the Dhaka constituencies.