The ruling Awami League has announced Atiqul Islam and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh as its candidates for contesting the city mayoral elections of respectively Dhaka North and Dhaka South.
The party's general secretary Obaidul Quader announced the names at the party president's Dhanmondi office in the city on Sunday morning, according to local media reports.
The announcement means that the Awami League could not continue to put its trust on Sayeed Khokon, the current mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.
Hence, the party chose Taposh over him to contest the upcoming polls.
However, it retained its trust on Atiqul, the current mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation.
Earlier on Saturday, the Awami League's local government election nomination board sat in a meeting at the Ganabhaban in Dhaka to finalise the candidates.
The Awami League chief prime minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting.
According to the election schedule recently announced by the Election Commission (EC), the Dhaka city mayoral elections will be held on January 30.
The last date for submitting nomination papers is December 31 and the deadline for withdrawing candidacies is January 09. The EC will scrutinise nomination papers on January 02.
In total, the two city corporations have over 5.4 million voters - 3.35 million in Dhaka North and 2.37 million in Dhaka South.
Apart from electing their respective mayors, the Dhaka North voters will elect 54 ward councillors and 18 women councillors for reserved seats and DSCC voters 75 ward councillors and 25 women councillors for reserved seats.
