Chittagong: Mayor Mohiuddin’s call for managing internal conflicts in the ruling Awami League’s local chapter ahead of the upcoming Chittagong City Corporation polls pears to have fallen on deaf eras of his party colleagues, as many of them should be reluctant to give him a fourth consecutive stint.

Leaders of two organizing committees refrained from attending a discussion organized by the city Awami League to mark Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Homecoming Day Monday, though the Mayor himself had earlier knocked their doors to invite them.

Lawmaker and chairman of City AL (South) Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu, City AL president (North) Engineer Mosharraf   Hossain MP, vice-president of City AL Nurul Islam BSc MP and his supporters didn’t turn at the function.

Speakers at the meet talked about the upcoming CCC polls and the nomination of Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury. A 501- member-strong committee was also formed to support Mohiuddin. Senior vice-president of City AL and former lawmaker Ishak Mia was made chairman and its General Secretary Kazi Enamul Haque Danu Member-Secretary of the committee.

Ishak Mia and Enamul Haque both, however, had collected nomination papers to contest the upcoming CCC elections, party sources said.

Presidium member of AL Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser at the discussion meeting said, “ Though Mohiuddin is yet to be declared as candidate for the upcoming polls by the party, his candidacy is 96 percent ensured. I hope the Prime Minister will nominate him as she knows mass people want Mohiuddin as their Mayor.”  

He took exception to the absence of some of the party leaders from the function.  “ Some of party leaders showed their stance against Mayor Mohiuddin by staying away from today’s meeting. But it should be kept in mind that they will also have to work for the man who will be nominated by the party,” he said.

Mayor Mohiuddin said,” I will contest the CCC elections under the banner of Nagorik Committee as per decision to be taken by the party central committee.”

According to the election schedule, the CCC polls will take place on June 17. Fixing choice for the candidacy, however, is matter of only two days now, as May 20 is the last date for nomination filing.       

The long-serving mayor, meanwhile, called upon other senior AL leaders of the city to take steps for containing the cacophony within the party before election.

While talking to bangalnews24.com.bd, Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu said, “We could not attend the program as we arranged another program to mark Prime Ministers’ Homecoming Day separately on behalf of City AL (South).”

“ I am not a member of the City AL. Mayor should curb internal conflict in his own group first and then he should come to us,” he added.

BDST: 01:20 Hrs, May18, 2010.  
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