City polls tomorrow

Staff Reporter :The elections to Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) amid tight security.A total of 2,349,313 electorates will cast their votes for the DNCC polls, 1,870,363 for the DSCC and 1,822,892 for the CCC polls. Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) has made elaborate arrangements to ensure holding of the polls in a free, fair and peaceful manner.The election campaign in the three city corporations ended on Sunday midnight, 32 hours before the balloting. Voting will be held from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm without any break. The EC has deployed around 55,000 presiding, assistant presiding, polling and assistant polling officers in two Dhaka City Corporations and over 15,000 in the Chittagong City Corporation. A panel of around 60,000 officers has been kept ready for the Dhaka polls.It has set up over 2,000 polling centres for the voters in two city corporations in Dhaka.There will be over 1,000 polling centres in Chittagong, where a panel of more than 20,000 officers will also be kept ready.Apart from this, the EC has deployed 45 of its officials to closely monitor the voting environment. In the DNCC, Awami League-backed candidate Annisul Huq is contesting for mayoral race with the symbol ‘table-watch’, while BNP-backed candidate Tabith Awal with ‘bus’. Jatiya Party-backed candidate Bahauddin Ahmed Bablu with ‘spindle’, Mahi B Chowdhury of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh with ‘eagle’, Junaid Saki of Gonosonghoti Andolon with ‘telescope’, CPB-backed Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan with ‘elephant’, JSD candidate Nader Chowdhury with ‘peacock’, Md Shamsul Alam Chowdhury with ‘leopard’, AYM Qumrul Islam with ‘cricket bat’, Kazi Md Shahiduallh with ‘hilsa fish’, Moazzem Hossain Khan Majlish with ‘flask’, Chowdury Irad Ahmed Siddique with ‘gourd’, Md Anisuzzaman Khokon with ‘dish antenna’, Md Jaman Bhuiyan with ‘table’, Sheikh Shahiduzzaman with ‘firebox’ and Sheikh Md Fazle Bari Maswood with ‘orange’ are also in DNCC mayoral polls race.  In the DSCC, AL-supported Syed Khokon is in the mayoral race with ‘hilsa fish’, while BNP-blessed candidate Mirza Abbas is in the contest with ‘mug’ as election symbol. Jatiya Party-backed candidate Saifuddin Ahmed Milon with election symbol ‘Sofa’, Islami Andolon of Charmonai-backed Abdur Rahman with ‘flask’, BNP’s international affairs secretary Dr Asaduzzaman Ripon with ‘orange’, former Awami League MP Golam Maula Roni with ‘ring’, CPB-BSD-backed Bazlul Rashid Feroz with ‘table’, JSD (Inu) candidate Abdul Khaleq with ‘cake’, Bharatia Andolon candidate Baharane Sultan Bahar with ‘shirt’, journalist Dilip Badhra with ‘elephant’, journalist Ataullah with ‘gourd’, Advocate Ayub Hossain with ‘ship’, ASM Akram with ‘cricket bat’ and Shahidul Islam with ‘bus’ are also mayor candidates for the DSCC.In the CCC, BNP-backed mayoral candidate M Manjur Alam is in race with ‘orange’ symbol, while Awami League-backed candidate AJM Nasir Uddin is mayoral aspitant with ‘elephant’ symbol. Besides, Jatiya Party-backed Solaiman Alam Sheth with ‘dish antenna’, Arif Moinuddin of BNF with ‘bus’, Mujibul Haq Shukkur of Islamic Front with ‘peacock’ and Shafiul Alam of JSD with hilsha fish are also in the mayoral race, among others candidates. “All arrangements are in place for holding a free and fair polling in the city corporations tomorrow,” Election Commissioner M Shahnewaz told Media on Sunday. He said, the EC has asked officials related in voting to conduct votes maintaining sincerity and neutrality, and urged members of the law enforcement agencies not to harass anyone without valid ground.He was confident that voters would be allowed to exercise their franchise safely and in well secured voting booths.”We also sought support and cooperation of all mayoral and councilor candidates for holding the upcoming city corporation elections. He, however, urged candidates to maintain electoral behavior for holding peaceful elections.Shahnewaz said all kinds of social media — facebook, twitter, mobile text messaging will be stopped from Sunday midnight ahead of City Corporation polls.”All public transports will remain suspended from 6:00am of April 28 to 8:00am of April 29,” he added.He also directed the authorities concerned for monitoring every polling centre, otherwise action will be taken.Meanwhile, both mayoral and councillor candidates of the three city corporations conducted their last moment hectic electioneering on Sunday to woo the voters.Most of the candidates, mayoral ones in particular, went from door to door and from one neighbourhood to another in a bid to reach out to as many voters as possible within the campaign deadline.The BNP backed mayoral candidates during their electioneering feared about holding of a fair election alleging that the ruling party men resorted to ‘silent terrorism and trying to buying votes in exchange of black money. They also alleged that workers were being ‘arrested, harassed and attacked by the police and ruling party men. The ruling party-backed candidates, however, raised no questions about the election atmosphere.The Home Ministry has deployed 100 platoons of BGB in Dhaka and Chittagong as part of intensifying security ahead of the elections.Besides, additional BGB members to be reserved to tackle if any untoward situation createsApart from this, the Ministry will deploy more than 5,000 RAB personnel in Dhaka and Chittagong for the city corporation elections.A total of 474 magistrates have also been deployed to oversee the elections.