Manna withdraws himself from Dhaka-18 race

The Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna has withdrawn his candidacy from the Dhaka-18 constituency, just three days before the 13th parliamentary election.

In a Facebook post at the first hour on Monday (February 9), Manna said he decided to step aside as contesting the Dhaka-18 seat had become financially unmanageable, citing the constituency’s large size and high campaign costs.

He also expressed regret if his decision caused disappointment.

Manna’s nomination in Dhaka-18 had remained valid throughout the process. The seat, comprising Uttara, Khilkhet, Kuril, Uttarkhan, Dakshinkhan and Turag, is now being contested by BNP’s SM Jahangir Hossain, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Mohammad Ashraful Haq, and National Citizen Party’s Ariful Islam.

Manna, however, remains in the race in Bogura-2 (Shibganj), where his candidacy was restored following an appeal to the Election Commission after an earlier rejection.