Dhaka, Feb. 9 -- Nagorik Oikko President Mahmudur Rahman Manna has withdrawn from contesting in the Dhaka-18 seat in the national election, though he remains a candidate in Bogura-2.

Manna announced the decision on Sunday night through a Facebook post.

Attempts to reach him by phone later were unsuccessful.

He wrote, "I am currently in Bogura. Under special circumstances, I had initially decided to contest both Dhaka-18 and Bogura-2 in the parliamentary polls. Dhaka-18 is a vast constituency, comprising seven and a half thanas and around 650,000 voters. Conducting an election here is extremely costly, which I cannot manage."

He added, "In this context, I have decided to withdraw from contesting in Dhaka-18. I understand this may disap...