Narayanganj: BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Narayanganj City Corporation election Shakhawat Hossain Khan cast his vote on Thursday morning.

The pro-BNP candidate exercised his franchise at Maisdair Ideal High School polling station in the city’s ward 13 at about 8:15am.

The voting for Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) election started from about 8:00am and will continue till 4:00pm without any break.

A total of 195 candidates are contesting for 37 posts. Of them, seven are contesting for the mayoral post and 156 are contesting in 27 wards while 38 are contesting for nine women reserved seats.

A total of 4, 74,931 voters is expected to cast their ballots under 174 poling centres. Of them, 2, 41, 514 are male and 2, 37,878 are female voters.

Seven mayoral candidates are in the election race. Of them, Dr Salina Hayat Ivy and Advocate Sakhawat Hossain Khan are considered as frontrunners as they are contesting the election for the mayoral post with symbols ‘boat’ and ‘paddy sheaf’ – the election symbols of two major political parties—Awami League and BNP.

The five other mayoral contenders are Mahbubur Rahman Ismail of Bangladesh Biplabi Workers Party, Kamal Prodhan of LDP, Maulana Md Masum Billah of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Mufti Azharul Haque of Islami Oikyajot, Md Rashed Ferdous of Bangladesh Kalyan Party.

Besides, 156 general councillor candidates are contesting the election in 27 wards, while 38 councillor contenders in nine reserved seats.