With the polling day (May 15) drawing near, campaigning for the Gazipur and Khulna city corporation elections has gained momentum. After getting electoral symbols, all candidates, including mayoral hopefuls, councillors and even candidates of general and reserved seats for women have been carrying out hectic canvassing for votes from early morning to midnight. Witnesses said both the Awami League and the BNP mayoral candidates, along with their supporters, were going from door-to-door to woo voters with promises of building a modern city, if elected.
The mayoral hopefuls are passing their campaign hours in different city wards, bazaars, roads, offices and attending electoral meetings of professional bodies, gatherings and view-exchange meetings. In the two cities, supporters of the mayoral and councillor candidates were seen bringing out processions and chanting slogans in favour of their aspirants all day long.
Both the AL and the BNP mayoral candidates have set up election offices at important points and intersections as per rules.
The Awami League-led 14-Party Alliance’s professional bodies were campaigning for Khalek and Jahangir Alam, while the BNP-led 20-Party Alliance, led by Goyewshar Chandra Roy and Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, have been campaigning in favour of their candidates in the last couple of days.
Seven candidates are vying for the mayoral posts in the two cities. They are Awami League-nominated candidates Jahangir Alam and former mayor Talukder Abdul Khalek, BNP-nominated candidates Nazrul Islam Manju and Hasanuddin Sarker, Jatiya Party-backed candidate Shafiqur Rahman Mushfiq, Islami Andolon-backed candidate Mowlana Muzammel Haque, and CPB-backed candidate Mizanur Rahman Babu.
In all, 148 aspirants are contesting for 31 general councillor posts and 38 women for 10 reserved seats of councillors. There are 493,092 voters and 244,109 of them are women. They will cast their votes at 289 polling centres.
The AL and the BNP have formed teams with their central leaders to campaign in favour of their respective candidates and to oversee party activities during the polls.
Awami League insiders said their central leaders would visit the election areas soon. AL joint general secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanok will oversee the party’s work in Gazipur. AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif will lead the team in Khulna.
The Awami League mayoral candidate, Talukder Abdul Khalek, presented his 31-point election manifesto at a press conference at the Khulna Press Club on Wednesday.
The election pledges contain different demands of city dwellers, including proper development of Khulna City Corporation, by introducing a “city government” system.
The points also include development of the water and sewerage system, development and expansion of city roads, industrialisation, health facilities, sports clubs in each ward, action against extortionists and drug abuse, improving law and order, and establishing a drug- and extortion-free society.
The AL mayoral candidate in Gazipur city, Jahangir Alam, is likely to announce his election manifesto next week. Talking to this correspondent, he said he wants to turn the city into a green, clean and modern city.
Our Gazipur correspondent Hazinur Rahan Shain says AL central leaders are yet to visit the city to take part in the campaign in favour of the party candidate.
BNP mayoral candidates in Gazipur and Khulna have started hectic campaigning by going from door-to-door and attending street meetings seeking votes in their favour in the May 15 polls.
The party’s central leaders have already gone to the election area to help the rank and file to strengthen the campaign in favour of the party candidates.
The BNP mayoral candidate for Khulna city, Nazrul Islam Monju, yesterday announced his 19-point election manifesto. He promised to build the city corporation as an accountable, democratic and transparent institution. He also pledged to turn the city into a green and clean city and protect the Sundarbans.
The party’s mayoral candidate for Gazipur, Hasanuddin Sarker, is expected to announce his election manifesto early next month, according to party sources. He is likely to announce the election manifesto on May 2 or 3, said a Gazipur BNP leader. A BNP standing committee member, Dr Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, went to Khulna on Wednesday to participate in the campaign in favour of Nazrul Islam Monju. The BNP leader yesterday took part in a mass contact programme and street meetings at Farazipara and Nirala Abasik areas.