Staff Reporter :
Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, adviser to the ministries of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and Youth and Sports, signaled uncertainty about his future political alignment, indicating that he is considering all available options – not necessarily joining the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP).
Speaking at a press briefing yesterday, Bhuiyan noted that while he holds some “interest” in the NCP, a party founded by the younger generation and his contemporaries, it would be premature to assume he would ultimately align himself with it.
“That can be any party, not necessarily the new political party,” he said, emphasizing that he has yet to make a definitive decision regarding when or with which party he will formally enter politics.
Meanwhile, Bhuiyan expressed strong reservations about the recent trend of individuals assuming political office through court rulings rather than electoral victories, particularly those following the fall of the previous Awami League government. In an interview with Prothom Alo on Friday at his government residence on Hare Road in Dhaka, Bhuiyan criticized what he described as the legitimization of flawed elections through judicial decisions.
He argued that endorsing candidates who lost in widely questioned elections, only to later be instated via court verdicts, undermines democratic norms. “Political parties should refrain from participating in such practices,” he warned.
The adviser’s comments came amid a shifting political landscape where several key municipal leadership positions have recently been filled through court orders. Notably, Shahadat Hossain, the BNP-backed mayoral candidate for the Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) election held on January 27, 2021, was declared the rightful winner by a court ruling issued on October 1 this year.
Initially, the 2021 CCC election had resulted in a decisive victory for Awami League candidate M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury. However, Shahadat filed a case with the election tribunal on February 24, 2021, alleging widespread irregularities and naming nine individuals as defendants. Following the downfall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising this July, Rezaul Karim no longer returned to the mayor’s office. The government subsequently appointed Mohammad Tofael Islam, the Chattogram Divisional Commissioner, as the city’s administrator on August 19.
In the wake of the political upheaval, the court ruled in favor of Shahadat Hossain, instructing the Election Commission to issue a formal gazette within 10 days, which it did promptly. After Shahadat’s assumption of office, more politicians appeared emboldened to pursue similar legal avenues.
Among them was BNP leader Ishraq Hossain, son of former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sadeq Hossain Khoka. Ishraq had contested the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election and, after a prolonged legal battle, was declared the winner by court ruling on March 27 this year.
Initially, Ishraq had only sought to nullify the election results; however, after the political transition and Shahadat’s success in Chattogram, he amended his petition to directly seek a declaration of victory.
The 2020 Dhaka South City election was marred by controversy, with official figures showing only a 29 percent voter turnout – a number widely doubted as many polling stations remained visibly empty throughout the day.
