14-party backing for Mohiuddin questioned by two other aspirants

The Chittagong unit of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance in a meeting yesterday proposed to back former city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury in the upcoming mayoral election but two other prospective aspirants said such a proposal did not count because the party chief Sheikh Hasina was the ultimate decision maker.

At the meeting, where the name of Mohiuddin, also coordinator of the alliance in Chittagong and president of the city AL, was proposed unanimously, says a press release.

At least four AL leaders including Abdus Salam, finance secretary of Chittagong city AL; AZM Nasiur Uddin, general secretary of the unit; and Nurul Islam BSc, vice president of the unit, may seek the party blessings in the mayoral vote, which has to take place within 180 days before July 25, 2015.

Both Salam and Nasir said AL President Sheikh Hasina could decide who would win party backing.

Salam, also chairman of the Chittagong Development Authority, said the 13-party could decide on the candidates they would back but not the one to be supported by AL.

Moreover, many top AL leaders of Chittagong were not present at that meeting, he said. He said the 14-party meeting decision would create misunderstanding in the party leaders and affect the organisation. He, however, said, "I think the decision will not impact the decision of central AL regarding the backing of mayoral candidate."

Nasir said that as far as he knew, such discussion was not on the meeting agenda. He said the 14-party alliance did not have the right to propose any candidate of AL, and only the party chief would take the final decision.

This decision is baseless, he said, adding, "We haven't yet received any instructions of the PM regarding the nomination of mayoral candidate."

Meanwhile, Mohiuddin Chowdhury said he was not at the meeting but was informed of the decision later.