Engineer Ishraque Hossain, the BNP-supported candidate, has said that although he has received justice from the court, the decision on whether he will take the oath as mayor will come from the party.
Ishraque made these comments to journalists in response to the court`s ruling that canceled the mayoral position of Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh in the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) election.
On Thursday, Dhaka`s First Joint District Judge, Md. Nurul Islam, announced the verdict declaring BNP`s Ishraque Hossain as the winner of the DSCC mayoral election, which was held on February 1, 2020.
After the verdict, Ishraque, who was present in court, told reporters,
"It wasn`t the voters or the people who secured the victory, but rather the irregularities that served as the tool for the fascist Awami League leaders and workers to win."
When asked whether he will take the oath as mayor, Ishraque replied,
"The decision on whether I take the oath will come from the party."
Following the verdict, Ishraque Hossain`s lawyer, Md. Rafiqul Islam, stated,
"Once the gazette is passed, Ishraque Hossain will soon take the oath as mayor."
Ishraque Hossain filed a lawsuit on March 3, 2020, challenging the DSCC election and its results, citing irregularities, corruption, and lack of acceptability.
The lawsuit named eight defendants, including then-Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, Returning Officer Md. Abdul Baten, and DSCC Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
After hearing testimonies from six witnesses, the court ruled on Thursday that voting manipulation and irregularities were proven, thereby canceling Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh`s mayoral position and declaring BNP-supported candidate Engineer Ishraque Hossain as the rightful mayor.
The elections for Dhaka North and South City Corporations took place on February 1, 2020.
In those elections, Awami League candidates Atiqul Islam and Fazle Noor Taposh were elected mayors of the north and south, respectively.
The Election Commission published the election gazette on February 2, and both mayors took their oaths and performed their duties.
However, after the political shift last year on August 5, they were removed from their mayoral positions.
Ishraque Hossain, the son of former mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, is a member of the BNP’s International Affairs Committee."
