Supporters of BNP leader Ishraq Hossain have been staging protests demanding that he be sworn in as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation.
They have issued an ultimatum, giving authorities until 10 AM on Wednesday (May 21) to take action.
The protesters have warned that if no decision is made by the deadline to officially hand over the mayoral responsibilities to Ishraq Hossain, they will announce stricter protest programs, including the threat to bring Dhaka to a standstill.
On Tuesday afternoon, from a temporary stage set up in front of Nagar Bhaban, one of the protest leaders declared that they would wait until 10 AM the next day. If the demand is not met by then, more intense action would follow.
The protests began last Wednesday and continued today with demonstrators staging a sit-in from 10 AM to 4 PM in front of Nagar Bhaban.
The controversy stems from the mayoral election of Dhaka South City held on February 1, 2020.
Allegations of widespread irregularities and vote rigging emerged, although Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh was declared the winner. Ishraq Hossain was the candidate representing the opposition.
Following a public uprising last year, an election tribunal on March 27 of this year ruled in favor of Ishraq Hossain, declaring him the rightful winner of the 2020 election.
The Election Commission later issued a gazette notification on April 27 officially recognizing his victory.
