The BNP leader’s journey from a court-declared mayor to government-appointed administrator highlights Chattogram’s political transition and persistent civic challenges.
People’s View Report
Dr Shahadat Hossain, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader who became mayor of Chattogram through an election tribunal verdict in 2024, has been appointed administrator of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), opening a new chapter in the city’s turbulent local-government history.
The Local Government Division issued the appointment notification on Sunday under Section 4 of the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Act, 2026. Shahadat will exercise the powers and responsibilities of the mayor until a new city corporation is constituted or further orders are issued, according to reports. The appointment follows the expiry of the corporation’s elected council’s five-year term in February 2026.
The decision resolves the immediate question of who will lead the corporation, but leaves broader questions about local representation, electoral mandates and the future of urban governance in Bangladesh’s commercial capital.
From electoral defeat to mayoralty
Shahadat’s political journey to the mayor’s office was shaped by his legal challenge to the January 27, 2021, city corporation election. The contest was officially won by Awami League candidate M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, who received 369,248 votes, while Shahadat, the BNP candidate, received 52,489.
Shahadat challenged the result before an election tribunal on February 24, 2021, alleging electoral irregularities and vote manipulation. His case remained unresolved during the subsequent years of Rezaul Karim’s mayoralty.
Following the mass uprising that brought down Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024, the interim government appointed divisional commissioner Md Tofail Islam as CCC administrator on August 19.
On October 1, 2024, the election tribunal overturned the previously declared result and declared Shahadat the elected mayor. The Election Commission amended the relevant gazette on October 8. Shahadat was sworn in on November 3 and formally assumed office on November 5, 2024.
The verdict was a significant development in the city’s electoral history: a candidate declared defeated nearly three years and nine months earlier was recognised as the winner through judicial proceedings.
The tenure dispute
Shahadat’s appointment as administrator follows a dispute over the duration of his mayoral tenure.
The CCC council elected in 2021 held its first meeting on February 23 that year. Under the applicable five-year term, the council’s tenure ended on February 22, 2026.
Shahadat argued that his five-year tenure should begin from his swearing-in in November 2024, potentially extending until November 2029. The Local Government Division, however, reportedly maintained that the tribunal’s verdict declaring him mayor did not separately extend the corporation’s statutory term.
The government’s latest decision places Shahadat in the administrator’s role under a separate legal arrangement. The notification does not, by itself, resolve every question surrounding the interpretation of the tribunal’s ruling or establish a timetable for the next local election.
The distinction matters because a mayoral mandate and the statutory tenure of a city corporation are related but separate legal questions.
A municipal institution dating back to 1863
Chattogram City Corporation traces its origins to the establishment of Chattogram Municipality on June 22, 1863. Initially covering six square miles and five wards, the municipality was upgraded to a municipal corporation in September 1982 before becoming Chattogram City Corporation on July 31, 1990.
The corporation has evolved alongside the city’s transformation into a major port, industrial and commercial centre. Its responsibilities include municipal roads, waste management, public health, drainage and other essential urban services.
ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury became the first directly elected mayor under the city corporation structure in 1994 and remained in office for approximately 17 years across three elections. He was followed by Mohammad Manjur Alam, AJM Nasir Uddin and M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
Administrator-led governance is not new to the institution. Khorshed Alam Sujan served as administrator from August 2020 until the 2021 election transition. The latest appointment again places the corporation under a government-appointed administrator rather than a newly elected local-government structure.
Waterlogging remains the defining challenge
Waterlogging continues to be one of Chattogram’s most persistent urban problems, disrupting transport, damaging property and affecting businesses and residents during heavy rainfall.
The problem involves more than drainage capacity. Canal encroachment, sediment accumulation, waste disposal and inadequate coordination among public agencies have complicated efforts to improve water flow.
CCC’s 2025–26 budget was set at Tk 2,145.42 crore, including Tk 88 crore for waterlogging mitigation. The allocation was higher than the Tk 33 crore budgeted for the previous year, when actual expenditure was reported at Tk 22.63 crore.
In June 2026, the corporation presented a Tk 3,549 crore masterplan proposal to restore 21 canals, with Shahadat advocating expansion of the initiative to cover 40–50 waterways. The scale of the proposal highlights the financial and institutional demands of tackling the problem.
The challenge for the new administration is to turn plans and budget allocations into measurable results. Progress will need to be assessed through project completion, drainage performance and the frequency and duration of flooding—not solely through official claims.
Roads, safety and financial accountability
Road maintenance and uncovered drains remain other significant concerns. In August 2025, CCC identified damage across 142 kilometres of roads covering 388 roads following heavy monsoon rainfall. The corporation also reported 21 kilometres of unprotected drains and canals and identified thousands of square metres of slabs requiring repair.
The mayor sought Tk 5 billion in government assistance for road repairs and drain and canal safety measures. The reported deaths of people falling into unprotected drains have also underscored the importance of routine maintenance and public safety.
The corporation’s financial performance deserves similar scrutiny. Its 2024–25 revised budget showed implementation of 61.66 percent of the original total budget. The figure raises questions about the pace of project delivery and the gap between announced allocations and actual expenditure.
For the administrator, transparent financial reporting, published project schedules and clear accountability for delays could help residents assess whether public funds are translating into better services.
The test ahead
Chattogram’s urban problems cannot be solved by the city corporation alone. Waterlogging, traffic congestion, land-use planning and major infrastructure projects involve multiple agencies, making coordination essential.
Shahadat has previously called for a unified city-government arrangement to improve coordination among public bodies. Any such reform would require clear legal authority, defined institutional responsibilities and appropriate financial powers.
His appointment now raises a broader question about the future of local governance. Administrator-led arrangements can maintain administrative continuity, but they also prompt concerns about democratic representation and the mechanisms through which residents can hold local authorities accountable.
For Chattogram’s residents, the central issues remain practical: safer roads, effective drainage, reliable waste management, transparent spending and a credible path towards elected local representation.
Shahadat’s political journey—from a defeated candidate in 2021 to a court-declared mayor in 2024 and now a government-appointed administrator—reflects the wider political changes Bangladesh has experienced since the 2024 uprising.
But the significance of his latest appointment will ultimately depend on whether the corporation can deliver tangible improvements in people’s daily lives while maintaining transparency and accountability. The challenge is no longer simply who occupies the mayor’s office, but how effectively the institution serves the city.
