The Awami League has nominated Comilla city unit General Secretary Arfanul Haque Rifat for the mayoral race on June 15.

The decision came from a meeting chaired by party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Friday, according to party sources.

Rifat was among 14 party leaders seeking the party's support to fight Monirul Haque Sakku, the two-time mayor of Comilla City Corporation (COCC) who will contest the polls as an independent candidate.

In 2012, Sakku defeated veteran Awami League leader Afzal Khan by over 30,000 votes in the first election to the city corporation, and his daughter Anjum Sultana Sima in 2017 by a close margin of 10,000 votes. 

Comilla city has over 230,000 voters.

Sima later became a member of parliament from a reserved seat. She also collected nomination paper for the mayoral race and was ready to resign from parliament.

On April 25, the newly-formed Election Commission declared the schedule of polls to the COCC, six municipalities and 135 union parishads ---- to be held through electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The deadline for filing nominations is May 17. Officials will verify the documents on May 19 while aspirants will get until May 26 to pull out from the races.

Polls symbols will be allotted to candidates on May 27.