Ariful Haque Choudhury, who was elected mayor of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) twice from the BNP, was initially hesitant about participating in the election. A week ago, the BNP expelled 43 leaders, including a mayoral candidate, for life for contesting the election. Nonetheless, the expelled leaders are continuing campaigns in the hope of winning the polls. The trend of grassroots leaders defying the central high command's decision has also been observed in Barisal, Khulna and Rajshahi where 19, nine and 16 leaders have been expelled from the party for life. Among the expelled leaders in Sylhet are mayoral candidate and Juba Dal leader Salahuddin Rimon, district unit Chhatra Dal President Altaf Hossain Sumon and General Secretary Delwar Hossain Nadeem.

Source: Dhaka Tribune June 13, 2023 05:36 UTC