NCP announces 100 candidates for upazila, municipal polls

In the first phase of the upcoming local government elections, the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) has announced the names of 100 candidates for the posts of Upazila Parishad Chairman and Municipality Mayor. The list was released at a press conference held at the party's central office on Sunday (May 10).

At the press conference, NCP's Local Government Election Steering Committee Chairman Sarjis Alam said that the list of candidates has been finalized after vetting and selecting qualified people from various political parties and outside politics.

Responding to a question about nominating people from Awami League or BNP, he said that the list also includes people who were previously associated with BNP-Jamaat politics. Besides, many have never been active in politics before. Again, some people were associated with Awami League politics 5 to 7 years ago but later took a stand in favor of the July Movement, opposing the party's 'dictatorial behavior'. Their nominations have been given on the basis of acceptability.

Regarding the alliance elections, Sarjis Alam said that currently the NCP is preparing for the elections alone. Although there is a possibility of coordination with the 11-party alliance including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, it is difficult to jointly determine a candidate in all upazilas. If necessary, a decision will be taken after discussion in the future.

At a press conference, party spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan urged the government to announce the full schedule for the local government elections as soon as possible. He said that it would be easier for candidates to prepare if the specific date of the elections is known.

The NCP said that this is their first phase candidate list. The names of candidates will be announced for all upazilas and municipalities of the country in phases.