Several attempts were made to contact Babrul Hussain on WhatsApp on Friday night, but could not be reached. However, the 74-year-old politician recently informed Prothom Alo on WhatsApp that many people are requesting him to be the mayoral candidate in the city elections. He hasn’t taken a final decision considering his age, but is looking into the matter.
A source close to Babrul, on the condition of anonymity, said that there is speculation that Ariful Haque Chowdhary, who was elected mayor twice in a row with BNP’s nomination, will not contest because of his party’s decision not to participate in the polls. If Ariful does not contest, it will create an opportunity for an easy victory for MD Anwaruzzaman Chowdhary, the candidate nominated by the ruling party and general secretary of the UK Awami League. And that’s why the anti-Anwaruzzam camp now wants to field Babrul as its candidate.
On the condition of anonymity, a politician from Sylhet told that when Babrul was in the country, apart from being a people’s representative, he was also a well-known face of Sylhet’s social movements. He gained immense popularity at the local level by establishing the organization ‘Jago Sylhet’. Even as an independent candidate, he will be able to create competition in the elections.