Dhaka: BNP on Monday night picked Tabith Awala as its candidate for the by-polls to Dhaka North City Corporation mayoral post.

BNP nomination board finalised its candidates after interviewing the party nomination seekers for the by-polls at BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office.

Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir came up with the announcement at a press briefing after the nomination board’s meeting.

‘The nomination board unanimously selected Tabith Awal as the BNP mayoral candidate for the Dhaka North City Corporation by-polls,’ he said.

Asked under which consideration Tabith gets the party nomination, the BNP leader said the nomination board has thought he is the best and fittest candidate who had bagged huge votes in the last election.

Besides, he said, Tabith is a well-educated person and he has the potential to win the polls.

Fakhrul also said their party is taking part in the by-polls as part of its ongoing movement for the ‘restoration’ of democracy.

In his instant reaction, Tabith said he got the nomination as a representative of youths. ‘It’s a victory for youths.’

Earlier, the BNP nomination board, comprising BNP standing committee members and its Dhaka North city unit senior vice-president and general secretary, headed by Khaleda Zia, started the interview of the nomination hopefuls around9:45pm.

Earlier in the day, all the five party nomination seekers submitted their forms with Tk 25,000 as security money at the party’s Nayapaltan central office at different times.

On Sunday, the five BNP leaders—its executive committee member Tabith Awal, special secretary Asaduzzaman Ripon, assistant publication affairs secretary Shakil Wahed, Dhaka North city unit president MA Quayum, and ex-MP Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman—collected the nomination papers for contesting the by-polls on the party ticket.

Four of them, except Quayum who is now staying in Malaysia, faced the interview by the nomination board.

Tabith contested the DNCC polls held on April 28, 2015 on BNP ticket and boycotted the voting halfway through bringing various allegations, including widespread vote rigging and obstruction to voters.

As per the schedule declared by the Election Commission, the by-polls to the DNCC mayoral post will be held onFebruary 26.

The DNCC mayoral post fell vacant with the death of Annisul Huq onNovember 30last year.