Dhaka: Adarsha Dhaka Andolon, a platform of pro-BNP professionals, will introduce the party-backed mayoral candidates for the elections to two city corporations in Dhaka on Wednesday.

BNP has already extended its support to its senior leader Mirza Abbas and Abdul Awal Mintoo’s son Tabith Awal as mayoral candidates for the polls in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) respectively.

“We’ll arrange a programme on Wednesday afternoon at the Institution of Engineers to formally introduce our platform’s mayoral candidates for Dhaka north and south city corporations’ polls,” Abdul Hye Sikder, a member of the platform, told UNB on Monday night.

Asked whether BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will be present at the programme, he said they could not confirm it as of 9:00pm on Monday.

Replying to another question as to how they will introduce the candidates if BNP-backed DSCC mayoral contestant Mirza Abbas does not attend their programme in case of his failure to secure bail from the High Court, Sikder said then they will introduce his wife, Afroza Abbas, as his representative.

He further said they will only introduce the mayoral runners, not the councillor ones.

Another leader of the platform wishing anonymity said the election manifestos of the two mayoral candidates will also be unveiled at the programme.

Earlier on Wednesday, the newly floated platform, Adarsha Dhaka Andolon, announced to work in favour of BNP-blessed mayoral candidates for the Dhaka south and north city corporations' polls.

Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, a former Dhaka University vice-chancellor, and a pro-BNP journalist leader, Shawkat Mahmud, were made convener and member-secretary of the committee.

Supreme Court Bar Association president Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, DU Prof Mahbub Ullah and DU-ex pro-VC AFM Yusuf Haider senior journalist Mahfuz Ullah, Eng ANH Akhter Hossain, journalist and poet Abdul Hye Sikder and advocate Fahima Nasrin were made members of the committee.