Awami League names Sharfuddin Jhantu as mayoral candidate for Rangpur city

The Awami League has nominated incumbent Rangpur Mayor Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu to run for the re-election.

The ruling party took the decision at a meeting of its local government election nomination board chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence at the Ganabhaban on Saturday.

The party said in a media release that the members of the board unanimously picked Jhantu up as the Awami League candidate for the mayoral election.

The election to Rangpur City Corporation will be held on Dec 21. It will be the second election after Rangpur was made a city corporation. 

In the first election to the city corporation held in 2012, Awami League leader Jhantu won as no other party could nominate candidates in the election.

After changes in related laws, political parties can nominate mayoral candidates in civic polls now.

Jhantu, who started his political career by joining Chhatra League when he was a student, joined Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal or JaSoD after independence.

He returned to Awami League via Jatiya Party in 2001.

Now he is a member of the advisory council of the ruling party's Rangpur district unit.