Dhaka: BNP’s nomination board has started interviewing the party’s 10 nomination seekers to finalise its mayoral candidates for the upcoming Khulna and Gazipur city polls.

The party’s nomination board, comprising BNP standing committee members, started the interview around 5:30 pm with their first meeting with Khulna city general secretary Shafiqul Islam Mona, one of three mayoral nomination aspirants for Khulna city polls.

After their meeting with the three aspirants, the BNP stranding committee members will interview seven party nomination aspirants for Gazipur city mayoral polls, reports the UNB.

Earlier, 10 mayoral aspirants, including two incumbent mayors, collected BNP’s nomination forms and submitted those to the party’s Nayapaltan central office for contesting Khulna and Gazipur city polls with the party ticket.

The seven BNP aspirants of Gazipur mayoral race are current mayor and party vice chairman Prof MA Mannan, executive committee member Hasanuddin Sarkar, Sramik Dal executive president Salauddin Sarkar, Mannan’s son M Manzurul Karim Roni, Gazipur district unit JCD president Sharfat Hossain and local BNP leaders Shawkat Hossain Sarkar and Abdus Salam.

Apart from mayor Moniruzzaman Moni, Khulna city BNP president Nazrul Islam Manju and its general secretary Shafiqul Islam Mona also collected the party’s nomination forms for the Khulna city polls.

Party insiders said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir may announce the names of the party-nominated candidates after the interviews of the nomination aspirants.

Contacted, aparty standing committee member said they unlikely to give nomination to two existing mayors for various reasons.

He hinted that their nomination board may pick Hasanuddin Sarkar as BNP’s mayoral candidate for Gazipur city polls while Nazrul Islam Manju or Shafiqul Islam Mona for Khulna city ones.

Last week, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda announced that the elections to Gazipur and Khulna city corporations will be held on May 15.

According to the election schedule, the deadline for the submission of nomination papers is April 12, while the dates for scrutinising those are April 15 and 16, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 23.

BNP candidates Moni and Prof Mannan were elected mayors in Khulna and Gazipur polls respectively in the 2013 polls.