TDS Desk:

Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan collected his nomination form for the Dhaka-10 constituency on Monday at 11:40am from the Dhanmondi Election Office under Dhanmondi Police Station.

He will contest the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election as an independent candidate.

Earlier, on 10 December, Asif Mahmud and fellow student representative Mahfuz Alam resigned from their posts in the Advisory Council of the interim government following a meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

Their resignations sparked speculation about which political party they might join, with rumours suggesting potential ties to the National Citizen Party (NCP) or contesting as BNP alliance candidates under Gono Odhikar Parishad.

However, Asif Mahmud clarified on 12 December that he would run independently, without any party affiliation.

After receiving the nomination form, Asif Mahmud expressed concerns about campaigning under the current security environment.

“Normal campaigning is not possible due to risks. The government has yet to arrest those responsible for the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi. This reflects its failure. Candidates remain at risk, particularly those who led the July uprising,” he noted.

Dhaka-10 covers areas including Dhanmondi, Kalabagan, New Market and Hazaribagh. The BNP has nominated Executive Committee member Sheikh Rabiul Alam, while Jamaat-e-Islami has nominated Supreme Court lawyer Jasim Uddin Sarkar, a central working committee member. The NCP has not yet announced a candidate for the seat.

Asif Mahmud’s decision to contest independently adds a new dimension to the Dhaka-10 race, which already features established party candidates. His campaign is expected to draw attention given his previous advisory role and outspoken stance on security and political accountability.

The student leader, who was part of the interim government, was handling the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, as well as the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Asif Mahmud led the quota reform movement in 2024 and was also one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement.