However, their names would be made public after ruling BNP announces its ward commissioner candidates, AL sources said.

Though local body elections are not held on party basis, political parties back their men.

"There will be no criminals in the list of AL candidates this time", claimed a top AL leader in the city when his attention was drawn to election of some "listed criminals" belonging to the party as CCC ward commissioners in the polls held in 2000.

He however said being on the police list does not mean a person is a terrorist or criminal till he is declared so by court. Many innocent people are being accused in cases due to political vengeance, he said.

Among the AL-backed 38 incumbent CCC ward commissioners, there at laeast are four persons on the police list of criminals.

There are 17 criminal cases including three for murders against Mamunur Rashid Mamun of Shulak Bahar ward, five against SM Shahiudllah of Bakalia and two against Mohammad Hossain Hiron of Pahartali ward. Another commissioner --Md. Aslam of South Halishaharis reportedly a 'godfather' of smugglers.

SM Shahidullah is now behind the bar and Mamunur Rashid is escaping arrest. Mohammad Hossain was acquitted in one murder case (Sramik Dal leader Safi murder) and is on bail in the other case, police sources said.

According to sources, Mohammad Hossain and Aslam are preparing to contest the CCC polls with AL support to retain their posts.

BNP is now preparing a list of its probable candidates for ward commissioner posts though formal announcement may take some time, sources in BNP said.

They said two ministers and a former minister hailing from Chittagong will be the key persons in selecting the candidates. They are Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al Noman and former commerce minister and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.