Annisul Huq, Khokan Al’s DCC mayor candidates

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday endorsed Sayeed Khokan, son of late DCC mayor Mohammad Hanif, and Annisul Huq, former FBCCI president, as mayoral candidates for the long-pending polls to Dhaka city corporations.

Party insiders said the Awami League chief called them in for a meeting at Gono Bhaban last night where she asked them to start campaigning.

Sources said Hasina asked Annisul to run for mayor in Dhaka North City Corporation and Khokan in Dhaka South City Corporation.

Earlier, Hasina had dropped hints about endorsing the two but yesterday she told them about her party's support for them, sources said.

In November 29, 2011, the government split the Dhaka City Corporation -- Dhaka south with 36 wards and Dhaka north with 56 wards -- and appointed two government officials as administrators for six months.

The bureaucrats have been running the corporations since 2011.

At a cabinet meeting on December 8 last year, Hasina had said the elections to the city corporations would be held in early 2015.

The Election Commission might go for the polls in the second week of April, sources said.