SCC election: Ariful in London, Anwaruzzaman is waiting!

Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) elections will be held on June 21. The Election Commission has already announced the election date and started preparations. Although the ruling Awami League has given instructions to collect nomination forms for the mayoral candidates in the upcoming elections, the major political party BNP has not yet taken any decision.

Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, the influential leader of Awami League living in the United Kingdom, is staying in Sylhet and trying to share the nomination for the post of mayor. On the other hand, the present mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury is staying in London to participate in the election and is trying to win the mind of BNP Acting Chairman Tarek Rahman.

According to Awami League sources, half a dozen leaders of the party are candidates for mayor post in Sylhet city elections. However, the joint secretary of United Kingdom Awami League Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury is the most discussed. Claiming to have received the party's green signal, he has been conducting public relations in Sylhet for the past few months. Although there is some distance with the leaders of the main organization Awami League, they are campaigning with the leaders of Chhatra League, Jubo League, Sechseb League. He is trying to get the final nomination by staying in the constituency under the slogan of building a smart Sylhet metropolis. The leaders and activists say that he is waiting for the final decision of party leader Sheikh Hasina.

On the other hand, the current mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury, the central leader of BNP, is in a lot of trouble due to the lack of decision of the party. His party is still adamant about not contesting elections under the current government. It is not yet clear whether Ariful Haque will participate in the election if the party does not go to the polls. Mayor Arif visited London this week. It is believed that he has come to convince Tariq Rahman, the acting chairman of the party in London, to participate in the election by stating his strong position. Apart from this, if the party does not go to the election, Arif can apply to participate as an independent candidate. BNP leaders and activists said that whether or not he participates in the election depends on Tariq Rahman's decision.

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