NCP announces names of five mayor candidates

The National Citizen Party (NCP) announced its candidates for the mayoral posts in five city corporation elections and placed a set of demands aimed at ensuring neutrality in local government polls.

The announcement came at an emergency press briefing at the party's temporary central office in Bangla Motor on Sunday night.

 Party convener and opposition chief whip in the National Parliament Nahid Islam disclosed the names and expressed concern over whether the current Election Commission can ensure a "level playing field." According to the party, its spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan will contest in Dhaka South City Corporation, while the party's senior joint convener and convener of the metropolitan north unit will run in Dhaka North City Corporation. National Youth Power convener Tariqul Islam has been nominated for Comilla City Corporation, Md Mobasher Ali for Rajshahi City Corporation, and Abdur Rahman Afzal for Sylhet City Corporation.

At the briefing, NCP leaders criticised the appointment of administrators in city corporations and district councils, alleging that the move undermines representative local governance. They claimed it is part of an effort to privatise local government structures.

Presenting the party's position, member secretary Akhtar Hossain placed five demands. He said local government elections at all levels must be completed within the next six months and administrators should not be appointed at the upazila, municipality, union, or ward levels. He also said no one holding the post of administrator should be allowed to contest elections.