BNP Elevates Dhaka City Administrators to Top Party Posts, Triggering Mayoral Speculation
DHAKA, Nov. 8, 2026 — Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has appointed the administrators of Dhaka’s two city corporations to lead its metropolitan units, prompting speculation that both could emerge as the party’s mayoral candidates in the next city elections.
Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), has been named convener of BNP’s Dhaka North metropolitan unit. Abdus Salam, administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), has received the same position in the party’s southern unit.
The appointments have drawn attention within BNP, with some party insiders viewing the new organizational responsibilities as a possible indication of the leadership’s electoral plans. However, senior party figures have cautioned that securing a key party position does not automatically guarantee a mayoral nomination.
Party sources said the dual responsibilities would strengthen the two administrators’ political standing in the capital while giving them greater opportunities to engage with residents and mobilize party activists ahead of the local government elections.
The Local Government Division appointed Milton and Salam as administrators of the two city corporations on Feb. 22.
BNP announced a two-member partial committee for its Dhaka North metropolitan unit on Nov. 1, naming Milton as convener and Dhaka-18 lawmaker S.M. Jahangir Hossain as member secretary. The party instructed them to complete the full committee within two weeks.
Speaking to News24buzz on Sunday, Milton indicated that he viewed the appointment as a possible signal of the party’s electoral intentions.
“The election is something I will contest. The party has given me a signal in one way or another,” he said, adding that he would ultimately follow the party’s decision.
Milton previously served as a vice president of the central Jubo Dal, BNP’s youth wing, and as member secretary of its Dhaka North metropolitan unit. He contested the Dhaka-15 constituency in the 13th parliamentary election but lost to Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman. He was subsequently appointed DNCC administrator.
A week after announcing the northern unit’s partial committee, BNP restructured its Dhaka South metropolitan leadership on Sunday.
The four-member committee is headed by Salam as convener. Abdul Kadir Bhuiyan Jewel has been appointed senior joint convener, while A.N.M. Saiful Islam will serve as joint convener and Tanvir Ahmed Robin as member secretary.
The restructuring removed former convener Rafiqul Alam, popularly known as Majnu, from the committee. He was elected a member of Parliament from Feni-1. Saiful Islam and Robin have retained their previous positions.
Salam is a veteran BNP politician who has previously led the party’s Dhaka South metropolitan unit. He also served as member secretary of the undivided Dhaka metropolitan BNP and as deputy mayor of the former Dhaka City Corporation.
A member of BNP Chairperson’s Advisory Council, Salam did not contest the 13th parliamentary election. Instead, he coordinated the election campaign of BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman in the Dhaka-17 constituency.
His appointment as convener has further intensified speculation that he could seek the Dhaka South mayoral position. However, Salam said the decision would rest with the party leadership.
Speaking to News24buzz on Sunday, he said his new organizational role had increased his responsibility and accountability to residents.
He added that his immediate priority was to earn public confidence through his work, while leaving any decision on contesting the mayoral election to the party.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami has already begun positioning potential candidates for both mayoral races. The party is preparing to field its Dhaka North metropolitan amir, Mohammad Selim Uddin, in the northern race and Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Vice President Sadik Kayem in the southern contest.
Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman introduced the two as mayoral candidates at an event in Dhaka’s Madhubagh area on Oct. 4.
BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, however, urged caution over interpreting the recent appointments as an indication of confirmed mayoral nominations.
Speaking to News24buzz, Dudu said organizational appointments and electoral nominations were separate processes. He explained that party committees were formed to oversee organizational activities, whereas candidate selection depended on factors such as public popularity and acceptability.
He said it was too early to conclude whether assigning key metropolitan positions to the two city administrators represented an advance endorsement of their potential mayoral candidacies.
The final nominations, he indicated, would depend on the party’s assessment and decision.
