Dhaka: The residents of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) are set to cast their votes on Thursday to elect their new mayor.

Five candidates are fighting for the mayor’s office but Awami League’s pick Atiqul Islam, a former president of BGMEA, is leading the race.

The other candidates are Jatiya Party’s Shafin Ahmed, National People’s Party’s Anisur Rahman Dewan, Progressive Democratic Party’s Shahin Khan and independent Abdur Rahim.

The mayoral post fell vacant after former mayor Annisul Huq passed away on November 30, 2017. The last mayoral election held on April 28, 2015 saw a high-octane campaign by both Awami League’s Annisul and BNP’s Tabith Awal unlike this by-election.

A total of 2,345,374 voters are expected to exercise their franchise this time. But many of them said there was not much excitement ahead of the balloting.

Apart from the DNCC mayoral by-polls, 36 new wards – 18 each in DNCC and DSCC – will also go to polls on Thursday. Besides, elections to the posts of female councillors of six reserve seats each in two city corporations will be held on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission imposed a ban on plying of motorcycles and motorised vehicles. Restrictions on motorbikes came into effect on Tuesday midnight and that for motorised vehicles will be effective from Wednesday midnight.

Vehicles of emergency services will remain out of the ban purview. The restrictions will be lifted on Thursday midnight.

The curtain fell on electioneering on Tuesday midnight, 36 hours before the voting. EC sources said 309 candidates are contesting the elections for 36 councillor posts while 70 female aspirants are vying for 12 reserve seats.

A public holiday has been declared in electoral areas for Thursday.