Staff Correspondent

More than five years after the election, the Election Commission (EC) has officially declared BNP leader Ishraque Hossain as the new mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), following a court ruling.

The EC issued a gazette notification on Sunday appointing him as mayor, Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed confirmed.This announcement comes after the commission received advice from the Law Ministry.Akhtar Ahmed further mentioned that a copy of the gazette will be sent to the Local Government Department for further action, including organizing the swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed mayor.Earlier, on March 27, Dhaka's first joint district and election tribunal judge, Md Nurul Islam, declared Ishraq Hossain as the rightful mayor, annulling the results of the 2020 Dhaka South City Corporation election that had declared Fazle Noor Taposh as the winner.The government’s previous gazette, which declared Taposh—elected with the boat symbol in that election—as mayor, was also cancelled.The Dhaka North and South City Corporation elections took place on February 1, 2020.

In the North, Awami League candidate Atiqul Islam was elected mayor, while in the South, Fazle Noor Taposh emerged victorious.

Taposh received 4.25 lakh votes in the race for Dhaka South mayor, while his closest rival, BNP’s Ishraque Hossain, secured 236,000 votes.

Ishraq filed a case on March 3, 2020, challenging the election results, alleging widespread irregularities and corruption during the voting.

After the fall of the Awami League government in August, 2024, the positions of the mayors for both Dhaka city corporations were declared vacant, along with those of all city corporation mayors across the country.Earlier on April 24, BNP leader Ishraque met Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin to know the update over the publication of the gazette notification declaring him as the mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).