Despite term ending, Chattogram City Corporation mayor Shahadat refuses to step down

❐ Chittagong Bureau

The discussion on how long Dr. Shahadat Hossain, who is sitting as the mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), will hold office has become the ‘talk of the country’ beyond Chittagong.

A complex legal and administrative dispute has begun between the current government’s Local Government Department and Dr. Shahadat. On the one hand, experts, after reviewing government documents, say that the council’s term has ended, while on the other hand, Shahadat Hossain claims that his journey has only just begun.

BNP leader Dr. Shahadat Hossain filed a case claiming that the CHSIK elections held on January 27, 2021 were rigged. After the political change in the July-August 2024 anti-government protests and militant attacks, the verdict in the case three years ago was suddenly given during the Yunus government’s term. As a result of the verdict, Dr. Shahadat sat on the mayor’s chair on November 3 of that year.

He claims that he has been declared the ‘legal mayor’ by the court’s ruling. According to his claim, after taking office, his term will remain in effect until November 2029. He believes that the term that has ended was that of “illegal” Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.

According to the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009 (amended 2011), the term of the Corporation is 5 years from the first meeting. Accordingly, the term of the Council, which began on 23 February 2021, ended on 22 February 2026.

According to NGO personality Badiul Alam Majumder, Shahadat Hossain was a candidate for that specific 5-year term, so even if he takes the oath later, there is no logic in getting additional time.

According to sources in the Local Government Department, a proposal was made to appoint a full-time administrator in Chittagong, like the two cities of Dhaka, in March due to the expiration of the term. The surprising information is that the document initially planned to appoint Shahadat Hossain as the ‘full-time administrator’. However, for unknown reasons, the file has been put on hold.

As a result of the 2011 amendment to the law, the old council is no longer able to perform its duties after its term ends and until new elections are held. However, Shahadat Hossain is preparing to provide a new legal explanation to the ministry.

According to him, even though the court ruling did not mention a separate term, five years should be counted from the date of his oath.

Currently, the administrative status of the CHC is somewhat in limbo. Although the government wrote to the Election Commission on February 3 to prepare for the elections, the matter is stuck due to the complexity of legal interpretation. Shahadat is still in office, but the Local Government Department has put the documents he provided on the table for review.

The city dwellers of Chittagong are now looking forward to the government’s next order – will Shahadat Hossain remain in office, or will he return to a new role as an administrator?