Comilla city polls
Hidden fear among city residents
Abu Jakir back from Comilla
On the surface, a peaceful and festive mood prevails among voters, candidates and supporters of both the major political partiesthe Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)over the upcoming Comilla City Corporation polls slated for March 30. But fear lurks in the minds of residents whether the elections will be held in a free, fair and credible manner eventually. To get the true picture, this correspondent visited various areas and spoke to several people in Comilla on Thursday. The AL has nominated Anjum Sultana Shima, daughter of advocate Afzal Khan, a local AL leader, who was defeated by the BNPs Monirul Haque Sakku in the last city corporation elections held on January 5, 2012. The BNP has again nominated Monirul Haque, the utgoing mayor of the Comilla City Corporation.
The Independent correspondent spoke to the ALs and BNPs mayoral candidates. The independent candidate for the mayoral post is Maj. (retd) Mamunur Rashid (Mamun). Another mayoral candidate is the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal-Robis (JSD-Robis) local leader, Shirin Akter.
Each of the four mayoral candidates is hopeful about winning. But the main fight is between the AL and the BNP. BNP supporters said Monirul Haque is a popular candidate and would surely win, if the polls are held in a free, fair and credible manner. They also said the ALs Shima is not a competent candidate for contesting the polls, so she has no chance of winning a proper election. Besides, there is a long-standing dispute between the families of Afzal Khan and AL lawmaker AKM Baharuddin Bahar, which can be another spot of bother for Shima, they added.
On the other hand, AL supporters said as in the Narayanganj City Corporation elections, their candidate will win in Comilla too. No one will be able to defeat Shima because Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has resolved the dispute among the two families and instructed them to work together for the party candidates victory.
The ALs central leaders, headed by its organising secretary Enamul Haque Shamim, have been campaigning in favour of Shima.
The Independent candidate, Maj. Mamunur Rashid, said the residents of Comilla will vote for him this time, as they are fed up with the both the AL and the BNP candidates for corruption and criminal activities. He said that at present there is a level playing field to contest the elections. I hope it remains till the polling day, he added.
But people of Comilla are keeping their fingers crossed. They say polls are no longer held in a free, fair and impartial manner. Jubayer Ahmed, an auto-rickshaw driver, told this correspondent that it is difficult to say that the polls would be free and fair. But if the elections are held impartially, the BNPs Sakku will win this time too, he added.
A sweet shop owner, requesting anonymity, said residents want change. If the ruling party candidate wins, she (Shima) can carry out more development work for Comilla than the BNPs Sakku. I hope the March 30 elections are competitive, he added.
Mohammad Rabiul Islam, an employee of a cloth shop in the city, said: We will vote for the person who will develop our city. I fear the elections will not be held in a free and fair manner. Ruling party leaders and workers are likely to interfere during polling.
This will be the first city corporation election under the new EC led by Nurul Huda. Over 2.07 lakh voters are expected to cast their ballots for electing a mayor and 36 councillors of Comilla city. There will be 65 polling stations and 421 polling booths, according to the EC.
