Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party is likely to extend its support to its leader Abdul Awal Mintoo's son Tabith Awal to vie for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayoral post as the High Court on Monday turned down his father's writ seeking its directive to the Election Commission to allow him to participate in the polls.

A BNP leader close to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday night told UNB that the party has decided to extend its support to Tabith as many party and alliance leaders are against supporting Bikolpodhara Bangladesh leader Mahi B Chowdhury for the DNCC mayoral race to replace Mintoo.

A pro-BNP intellectual, wishing anonymity said, they have given signal from the BNP high command to announce Tabith as their DNCC mayoral candidate. He said they may come up with the announcement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mintoo's wife Nasirin Fatema Awal along with her sons Tabith Awal and Tafsir Awal and their wives met Khaleda at her Gulshan residence on Monday night.

They entered Khaleda's residence at about 10:20pm and had a nearly 40-minute meeting with her.

Earlier in the day, an HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Izharul Haq Akand rejected Mintoo's writ.

On Sunday, Mintoo's counsel, on his behalf, filed the writ with the High Court bench a day after the Dhaka Divisional Commissioner, the Appellate Authority, upheld the Election Commission's decision declaring invalid his nomination paper.

Following the rejection of his writ by the High Court, Mintoo is now unable to run the DNCC polls slated for 28 April.

However, the Election Commission found the nomination of paper of Tabith Awal found valid during the scrutiny.