Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Mirza Abbas on Friday purchased nomination paper to contest the mayoral post of the Dhaka South City Corporation election slated for April.

On behalf of Mirza Abbas, his lawyer AKM Shajahan collected the nomination paper from office of the returning officer of DSCC at about 11:00am, returning officer of DSCC election Mihir Sarwar Morshed said.

Although the party is yet to make its stance on joining the polls clear, the party leaders are collecting nomination papers to vie for the mayoral posts in Dhaka and Chittagong cities' polls.  

Earlier, two BNP leaders, its finance affairs secretary Abdus Salam and assistant organising secretary Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, now in jail in BDR mutiny case, and pro-BNP professional leader Selim Bhuiyan also collected nomination papers for the mayoral race in the Dhaka South City Corporation.

Salam was a former deputy mayor of the undivided Dhaka city corporation.

Meanwhile, ruling Awami League endorsed its city unit organising secretary Sayeed Khokan as a mayoral candidate for the DSCC.

BNP sources said Mirza Abbas, now hiding as he is facing some criminal cases for street violence, collected the nomination paper as per the instruction of party chief Khaleda Zia as she does not think Salam as a suitable candidate to fight against Sayeed Khokan, son of former Dhaka city mayor Mohammad Hanif.

Election Commission sources said a total of 28 mayoral aspirants have so far bought nomination papers from DSCC after the announcement of the election schedule, while 923 general councillor and 171 reserved councillor aspirants bought the nomination papers.

As of Friday, the Election Commission issued show cause notice to 63 aspirants of DSCC on different charge of violation of polls code of conduct, said returning officer Mihir Sarwar Morshed.  

He also said they have received three complaints against the aspirants after the announcement of the polls schedule.

On 25 March, BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo also collected nomination papers to contest the upcoming Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) polls as a mayoral candidate.

Meanwhile, BNP Chittagong city unit on Thursday extended its support to Chattagram Unnayan Andolan platform's mayoral candidate M Manjur Alam Manju in the upcoming Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls.

The last date for the submission of nomination paper is 29 March as elections to three city corporations of Dhaka and Chittagong will be held on 28 April.