BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the names of the two candidates after the party’s nomination board interviewed aspirants at its chairperson’s Gulshan office.
He said their nomination board finalised Ishraque and Tabith as the party mayoral candidates for the two city polls considering the overall situation.
“We’re taking part in the elections as part of our movement. As a democratic party, we should be there in the election race through which we’ll be able to intensify our movement and go to people,” the BNP leader said.
He said their party does not believe the city polls will be held in a fair and credible manner.
The BNP nomination board interviewed Ishraque, Tabith and party leader Asaduzzaman Ripon as the trio submitted nomination forms to get the party ticket to contest the DSCC and DNCC polls.
On Saturday, party senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced Ishraque Hossain as the party’s candidate for the DSCC polls since no other party leaders bought the party’s nomination paper to contest the polls.
Earlier on Friday, three BNP leaders -- Asaduzzaman Ripon, Tabith Awal and Engineer Ishraque Hossain -- submitted their nomination papers to contest the upcoming city corporation elections.
Of them, Asaduzzaman Ripon and Tabith Awal have planned to contest the DNCC polls while Ishraque the DSCC election.
Tabith Awal, a BNP executive member and son of party vice chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo, also contested the DNCC election in 2015.
Asaduzzaman Ripon is BNP’s special secretary and former president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, while Ishraque Hossain is a member of BNP, and son of former mayor of undivided Dhaka city Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
The elections to the Dhaka South and North city corporations will be held on January next 30, according to a schedule announced by the Election Commission.
Party insiders said BNP has formed selection teams to finalise the councillor candidates for the two city elections.
The selection teams will interview the councillor aspirants at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office and chairperson’s Gulshan office on Sunday and then announce the names of final candidates.