On the first day of scrutiny, the Election Commission (EC) yesterday cancelled six nominations for two mayoral posts on different grounds including loan defaulting.

Out of the six, four were in Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and two in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC). However, none of the mayoral nominations in Sylhet and Barisal city corporations was cancelled.

The scrutiny of nominations submitted for councillor's posts could not be completed and will continue today.

Of six city corporations, four along with nine municipalities are going to polls on August 4.

Our Khulna correspondent reports: City Awami League (AL) General Secretary Mizanur Rahman Mizan, Muslim League leader Sirajul Islam, and independent Qamrul Alam Mintu and SM Hafizur Rahman are the four may-oral aspirants who failed to qualify in the scrutiny.

District election office sources said Mizan, Sirajul and Mintu's

nominations were rejected as they were proved defaulting on Tk 23.78 lakh,Tk 1.66 crore and Tk 1.48 crore in loans taken out from Basic Bank, Bangladesh Shilpa Bank and Janata Bank.

Hafizur's was cancelled as he still holds an office of profit in KCC.

Sirajul Islam told The Daily Star that he would file an appeal against the cancellation today.

After yesterday's scrutiny, the number of mayor aspirants stands atll.

Out of 281 applications for councillorship, so far 92 have been counted and six cancelled. Of 47 nominations for women's reserved seats, only one has been cancelled, sources said.

Bangladesh expatriate in Belgium Golam Rabbani and Siddikur Rahman arc the two whose nominations for the post of RCC mayor were cancelled.

Rabbani's was not accepted as he submitted that without signature while Siddikur's suffered a similar fate as he was identified as a loan defaulter by Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and Janata Bank. After the cancellation, the number of candidates in mayoral race stands at 16, reports our Rajshahi Correspondent.

Our Sylhct correspondent reports: All 21 nominations submitted for the mayor's post in Sylhet City Corporation (SCO were declared okay, said Khondker Mizanur Rahman, deputy election commissioner for Sylhet division.

Of 48 nominations for the women's reserved councillor's seats, four were cancelled while scrutiny of 223 nominations filed for councillor -ship of 27 wards was going on till filing this report at 5 00pm yesterday.

Our Barisal correspondent reports: All 14 nominations turned in for the post of Barisal City Corporation (BCC) mayor were cleared on the first day yesterday, according to an official of the district election commission.

1 lowever, five out of 187 nomina-tions submitted for the councillorships and one out of 42 for women's reserved seats were cancelled