SHAMIMA RITA

After announcing mayoral candidates for five city corporations, the National Citizen Party (NCP) is set to expand its plans for the upcoming local government polls by fielding candidates in seven more cities.

The new list is likely to include a mix of central leaders, regional organisers, grassroots figures, and well-known faces, as the party seeks to broaden its organisational base beyond parliamentary politics, party sources said.

Among those under consideration, NCP’s chief organiser for the northern region, Sarjis Alam, is the frontrunner for Rangpur City Corporation.

He previously contested the 13th parliamentary election from Panchagarh-1 as part of a Jamaat-led alliance but lost to BNP candidate Barrister Mohammad Nawshad Zamir.

In Chattogram, former city mayor Mohammad Monjur Alam is the most likely candidate. NCP leaders are already in talks with him to join the party and contest under its banner.

Sources said Monjur was first elected a councillor with Awami League support. In 2010, he contested with BNP backing and defeated then-mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, winning by nearly one lakh votes to become mayor of Chattogram City Corporation. He later served as an adviser to the BNP chairperson.

After losing the 2015 city election, he announced his retirement from politics but was later seen in AL–aligned activities. He also In In

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