Chittagong, Oct 01 (V7N) – In a significant legal development, the Election Tribunal has declared BNP leader Dr. Shahadat Hossain as the mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CHASIC). The court, led by Joint District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Khairul Amin, delivered the verdict on Tuesday afternoon, instructing authorities to publish the official gazette within the next 10 days.

Arshad Hossain Asad, the lawyer representing Shahadat Hossain, explained that the Chittagong City Corporation election took place on January 27, 2021. In that election, Awami League candidate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was declared the winner, securing 369,248 votes. Dr. Shahadat Hossain, representing the BNP, was his main rival and received 52,489 votes.

However, following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government on August 5, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives announced on August 19 that mayors of various city corporations would be removed from office. Shahadat Hossain, contesting the election results, filed a case in the Chittagong Election Tribunal on February 24, 2021, accusing nine people of rigging and seeking the cancellation of the gazette that declared Rezaul Karim Chowdhury as mayor.

After a lengthy legal process, the court ruled in favor of Shahadat Hossain, declaring him the rightful mayor of Chittagong City Corporation. This decision marks a major victory for the BNP leader as the court recognized his claim of electoral rigging during the 2021 election.

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